Rebuilding Hope
by Dragon-Raptor
Summary: A few Sectares after HOG, the Galatica receives a message... This is setting up the BSG characters for their entry into my 'Legacies' story arc, but can be considered 'StandAlone'. ApolloSheba, AthenaOC
1. A Voice From the Wilderness

**DR: **Okay, this was going to be just a short story setting up these characters for their introduction in my 'Legacies' Story arc. But of course, things rarely work out so simple... So while this is a introduction of sorts, this story can be considered a stand-alone one too.

**Zeke: **So when do we see them?

**DR: **Patience Zeke. All in good time. Now, before anyone gets confused I'll list the definations I'm using. This is set shortly after HOG.

I'm using the time units from here: www. chrispappas. com/ archives/ timeunit. html (You'll need to remove the spaces I'm afraid) When talking about distance on scanners, ie 'thirty-five microns out.', they mean _light-_microns, sort of like light-years. They just drop the first bit XD

A full squadron of Vipers consists of thirty-six (36) craft

**Shadow: **Yea, yea, lets get on with it!

* * *

Chapter 1: A Voice From the Wilderness

Commander Adama stood before his seat, his hands resting on the railing around his command pedestal on the bridge. He had done this so many times in the last several dozen yahrens that his back no longer complained.

Yet to those who knew him, as most of the bridge crew now did, there was a spark in his eye, an air of joy about him. It was felt by everyone throughout the fleet. Shortly after the fleet had entered the black void between galactic spiral arms, a message had been received, sent across the black of space to them.

The contents of that message had been amazing, and had sent ripples of hope and joy throughout the fleet. He could still remember that day as clear as crystal…

x x x x x x

Adama sighed in relief as the last shuttle returned to the _Galactica_, Apollo giving him the all clear. The release of the traitor Baltar had been hotly debated by the Quorum of Twelve, but Adama had put his foot down, explaining that it had been the information that Baltar had provided that had allowed Apollo and Starbuck to blind the Basestar, enabling the _Galactica_ to sneak up on and destroy it. He had also pointed to the escape attempt by Baltar before, citing that it was for the best that the venomous snake was put somewhere where he could do no further harm. Siress Tina had supported him completely, and slowly the others had been won around.

Now, six sectons later during which the various ships of the fleet had gathered what they could from the planets in this system, the fleet was preparing to move off again. Adama had wished to be off sooner, but the discovery of a large vein of Tyilum in the third planet had called for the longer delay. They were going to need all the fuel they could get, for who knows when their next stop would be?

But now at last they could move off, short one traitor who was to remain on the second planet. It would not be easy, the ambient temperature being much lower that Caprica had been and wildlife scarce, but it was enough to survive.

The long stay had also allowed the people of the fleet to get in some much need maintenance on the ships, and to shuffle around some people to free up space. It hadn't helped that one of the oldest ships in the fleet was on the verge of catastrophic failure, too risky to keep. Luckily it was also the slowest ship, so hopefully they would make better time.

Once confirmation that the shuttle was safely on board, he turned to Omega, the bridge operations officer and third in command. "Omega, signal the fleet. Come to full power and set best speed." He didn't have to explain further. Omega already knew what he was saying.

"Ay Sir." Turning to his console, Omega began to send the orders to the ship masters of the fleet.

Adama turned to look out of the bridge view port, letting his hands rest on the railing before him as he did so. Through the railing, he could feel the vibrations that travelled down the _Galactica's _massive hull as her huge energisers spun up to full power, supplying the vast amounts of power to kick start the ion accelerator engines once more. Slowly but ever increasing in speed, the _Galatica _crept away from the star system trailed by the fleet, like some huge and ancient space dragon leading her young to safety.

x x x x x x

"Adama's personal log. Begin recording.

"It has been nearly a sectar since we left the star system on the rim of 'our' galaxy. Since then the fleet has entered what only be described as a void in space, a vast empty gulf between clusters of stars. Looking ahead, we have for the first time in Colonial history been able to truly get a sense of where we are in the galaxy as a whole. For some time our scientists theorised that the region of stars we know as 'The Galaxy' was in fact a slightly separate chunk of a spiral arm belonging to a much larger Galaxy. And now we have entered the gap between two of those arms. A curtain of stars lies ahead of us and behind us, while far to our right there is a cluster so dense it is like a ball of light.

"I am now convinced that Earth must lie somewhere in the next spiral arm, far from our old homes. How long must it have taken the Thirteenth Tribe to cross these huge distances I wonder? And why did they not settle on many of the planets we have passed before now, such as Paradeen, Terra or the rest? And how advanced will our brothers of Earth be when we finally reach them? I fear that many of these questions will never be answered.

"The people of the fleet remain calm, and supportive. So far very few have expressed concerns about the gulf we have entered. Indeed, we have seen a marked increase in the number of people wishing to join the Colonial Military. It appears that Apollo and Starbuck's venture has had a greater affect than I thought.

"Speaking of Apollo, I am heartened that he at last appears to be allowing himself to feel again. The death of his wife Serina affected him deeply. I can understand his pain, since with Illa's death during the Destruction of the Colonies, compounded by the death of my younger son Zac, I felt the loss of a part of myself. I can only hope that Apollo will now move on with his life, as I had to do. Sheba clearly feels for him. It fills my heart with joy to think about…"

Adama didn't finish his thought because his console buzzed. Shutting down the recorder, he hit a button to receive the hail. Leaning forwards, he spoke clearly into the mike on his desk. "Yes?"

Colonel Tigh's voice filtered through. _"Commander, I think you'd better get up here."_ His voice sounded calm, aloft, but Adama had known Tigh for a long time. They had been fellow warriors together, and Adama could just tell that something was bothering the usually unflappably colonel.

"I'll be up at once." Signing off, Adama quickly strode from his quarters, his mind churning as he moved through the _Galactica. _What could be so important that Tigh was unable to handle it himself? Very little could rustle Tigh these days, and Adama felt a tendril of dread running up his spine. _'Please, let it be anything but Cylons…' _

Stepping onto the bridge, Adama's eyes roamed the cavernous chamber as he walked towards his command pedestal. There was none of the worried tension that filled the air whenever Cylons were spotted, indeed the bulk of the bridge crew were going about their business as normal.

Stepping up to the pedestal, he focused on Colonel Tigh himself. His was bent over the communications station, where Adama's lovely daughter Athena worked. The two of them had their heads together, both staring at the screen before her. Omega was one to one side, looking both worried and excited at the same time.

"Report Colonel." Adama asked quietly as he stopped behind him. Tigh turned to face Adama, his dark skin wrinkled in concern.

"Commander, our long range comm systems have picked up a transmission."

"Another Gamma frequency fragment?" Shortly after the party following the destruction of the Basestar, Apollo had returned to the celestial dome above the engines, where Starbuck had found him. When he had returned he had been more excited than anyone had seen since the Destruction. While he had been gone, the domes automated systems had recorded a second fragment. Thanks to the signal booster Boomer had rigged up, it was much clearer than the earlier one. The language was unknown, but similar enough to Colonial standard that the computer could translate it, though some words made no sense. But the image was clear, if fuzzy and grainy. It had been the landing of some type of ship on a barren looking plain.

After that, Apollo had managed to get a gamma frequency receiver attached to the main comm system. Since then they had been picking up small fragments, the odd word or image.

Tigh shook his head. "No sir. It was a tight beam transmission, coming from behind us."

"Behind us?" Adama felt that chilly dread rise higher. And a tight beam transmission meant only one thing. The sender knew where they were, or at least had a very good idea.

Tigh nodded. "Yes sir. And there's something else. It was on Fleet Comm Line Beta."

"Beta?" Adama's eyes widened as he realised just what Tigh had said. While Alpha had been a direct and highly secure line between major warships, Beta had been the main message channel between all ships in the Colonial Fleet. It was most often used to relay messages in simple text format, allowing much longer range communication between fleets._ 'Could it be possible?'_ "Voice message?"

This time Athena answered. "No Father, it's a text message. Encoded." Her fingers rested above the keys. "Shall I run the decode program?"

Adama thought about it for a couple of microns. "Very well, but have the output written to a card, not the main computer." As Athena set to work, Tigh stepped closer.

"You don't think it could be a Cylon trick do you?"

"Tigh, I wouldn't put anything past them. But… if this truly is what we think it is…" A smile formed on Adama's face, reflecting his unvoiced thoughts. Then he forced it down, slipping back into his command face. "Once that message is decoded, have it brought to my quarters immediately."

"Yes sir."

x x x x x x

Apollo slowly walked towards his father's quarters, questions flying round inside his head. Athena had already told him about the message that had come in, and how Adama had wanted to look through the decoded result first and alone. Apollo could understand that, but that had been almost two centares ago. The message wasn't that large, surely he would have been finished before now!

He looked to his right, where Athena and Sheba walked besides him. Both women were clearly thinking the same thing as himself, their brows furrowed. Behind the three of them Tigh walked beside Siress Tina, with Starbuck bringing up the rear.

At last they reached the cabin door, and it fell to Apollo to ring the announcer. He rung it, then paused. When His father did not respond, he rung it again, slightly longer this time.

"Enter." Adama called from within, his voice wavering.

Worried by his fathers tone, Apollo hurried through, the others quickly following him. They quickly arrayed themselves around the room, watching Adama where his sat at his desk, focused on the reader in his hands.

"Father, what is it?" Athena asked, worry in her voice. At last Adama looked up, and everyone was stunned to see tears running down his cheeks. But there was also a smile on his lips. The combination threw Apollo off course. Since when did his father cry?

"Father…" He echoed his sister's words. Wordlessly Adama turned the reader about so the others could see. They each stepped forward to read the text displayed.

**BEGIN MESSAGE> **

**TO: Caprica Battlestar Galactica> **

**FROM: Scorpia Battlecruiser Thunderchild> **

**Adama, I hope you're the one reading this. You're as stubborn as a Scorpia native when it comes to losing, so I'd expect you to be still alive and kicking. I know the strain you've been under lately. I'm sorry I haven't contacted you sooner, but I thought it was best until we left Cylon space far behind. **

**Suffice it to say, you're not alone. **

**I'm currently the de-facto leader of a number of other ships, some from the fleet, some civilian. We've been running interference in your wake, tearing apart the Cylons supply lines and generally making things hard for those gulmogging tin cans to track you. Nice work at Gamoray BTW, you made quite a mess of their outer capital. Good thing you didn't smash the fuel depot, since we were able to fill our tanks as well. And I have to say congratulations on killing that Basestar. That's the Adama I remember. From what we've gathered, I don't think they even realise you killed it yet. **

**Can't say much more right now, but I'll be in contact again. We'll stay apart for the moment, until we're sure that the Cylons are not following our ion trails. When things look safe, I'll gather my ships together and we'll catch up with you. **

**Looking forwards to seeing your face once more. Oh, and don't call us, we'll call you. **

**END OF MESSAGE> **

Apollo looked up at Adama, his jaw still hanging. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Sheba's eyes were wide in shock, while Tigh was clearly stunned. At last he got his voice back. "Father, this is… it's… unbelievable."

"I know son…" Adama answered him. "It seems incredible that others escaped separately, but it appears so."

"Father, I've never heard of a Battlecruiser _Thunderchild_." Athena stated, her voice wavering slightly. "What if this message is a Cylon fake?"

"Athena…" Adama gently scolded. "You decoded the message yourself. The Cylons, for all their technical might, could not have broken our encoding routines. Certainly not the code used for this message. As for your other point, there is no 'Battlecruiser' _Thunderchild_, but there _was _a heavy cruiser called _Thunderchild, _Protector Class. She was one of our oldest ships, almost nine hundred yahrens old. Almost a sectar before the peace offer, she engaged a Cylon taskforce. She defeated it, but suffered heavy damage. Afterwards, it was decided to rebuild her, as the second prototype ship of our new battlecruisers, a replacement for the Protector class. I gathered they wanted to see if they could convert the old ships into the new models."

Now Tigh spoke up. "I thought that project was put on hold when the Cylons offered their peace treaty?"

"It was, but clearly it was nearer completion than was generally thought." Adama frowned. "The Cylons _could_ have found her half built, and used it to gain access to the codes needed, but somehow I doubt that."

"So, what are we going to do?" Siress Tina asked, speaking for the first time. "What do we tell the people?" Adama sat in thought for a few moments, thinking hard, before he replied.

"For the moment, nothing. Let's try to keep this to ourselves. I know the rumour mill is mostly likely already afoot within the _Galactica's _crew, but hopefully it won't spread to the general population." He held up a hand as Siress Tina opened her mouth to speak. "I do plan to tell the people, but only once we have proof that this message is genuine. I don't want our people's hopes raised only to be dashed, again." He did not need to elaborate on his meaning. The episode involving Terra had affected the people's morale badly.

"In the meantime, Tigh you and Apollo, Starbuck and Sheba try to keep a lid on our warriors. Let them know the basics, but impress on them the need to keep things in perspective. We don't have proof that this is real, and not a cruel hoax played by the Cylons. Siress, can you do the same with the Council?" Everyone nodded in reply.

"Good." Adama smiled as he rose from his seat, wiping away the last of his tears. "Now, return to your duties. And pray to the Lords of Kobal that the proof we need, one way or another, comes soon."

x x x x x x

Over the next couple of sectons, a dozen more messages were sent to them. Slowly more small facts built up to the point that even the most sceptical warrior believed the messages to be genuine. And then the message that they had all been waiting for came in, just as the _Galactica's_ long range sensors detected a star system ahead, on the very fringe of the Galactic spiral arm they were heading for. The _Thunderchild_'s commander had decided it was time for the scattered ships to gather and link up with the _Galactica_.

The people of the fleet had gone wild with joy at the thought that more of their brethren had survived the Holocaust. While it was repeatedly mentioned that the chances of individual relatives having survived was remote, it did not throw a damper on the fever that ran throughout the fleet.

So today, five sectons after that first message from the deep and with the fleet holding station around the third planet of this dead system, the sender of that message was coming in.

Behind him, Adama could hear Colonel Tigh pace about, every now and then asking Omega for a sensor report. The _Galactica's_ long range sensors had picked up the contacts a few centares ago. Now it was a case of waiting for them to reach visual range.

The rustle of fabric alerted Adama to the presence of another person on the raised command platform. Turning his head, Adama's smile widened as he looked upon the face of his son Apollo. Like himself, Apollo had an air of excitement about him, not unlike the excitement he had had just before he had been sealed to Serina. Behind him, Adama could see Starbuck, Boomer, Sheba and Bojay hanging back. Each one was smiling as broadly as Apollo.

"Father, the contacts are cresting the planet now." Athena's voice was filled with excitement, her eyes dancing in a way that Adama had not seen since the Destruction of the Colonies.

"They'll be in visual range within microns…" Tigh breathed.

For the next few centons nobody on the bridge dared breathe, so desperately were they in not ruining this moment.

Typically, it was the eagle-eyed Apollo who picked them out first. "There they are!" He cried, one hand shooting out to point at the main window. Adama strained his eyes for a second… then he too saw them.

At first only specks of off white, each one rapidly expanded into the form of a ship.

Colonial warships, plus a number of civilian ones.

A little over thirty ships, more survivors of the Destruction.

Leading the procession, head of the fleet, was the ship that had made that first contact. The ship that had reached out from the darkness, and brought a new ray of hope to the battered Battlestar and her people.

The Predator Class Battlecruiser _Thunderchild_.

Adama allowed his eyes to wander along her length. He had only seen the initial concept design for the new battlecruiser, 'the ships that would win the war', or so her designers had claimed. She had a long and narrow head, sharper than the battlestars. Like the more modern designs that stemmed from the Battlestar Project, her ion drives were arranged side by side, rather than the vertical configuration of the older ships. They were also lower relative to the hull, creating a very 'flat' ship. But it was where her landing bays, lifted straight from a Protector, joined the rest of the ship that things were radically different. Instead of the single spar like her predecessor or the multiple spars of a battlestar, _Thunderchild _had a long, thick wing linking the bays to the main hull. The result created a solid, heavy looking hull that could withstand far more punishment than her size suggested.

But it wasn't just her tough hull that gave her the name battlecruiser. She was also heavily armed, almost as well armed as a battlestar. A 'Pocket Battlestar' was a tag that Adama had heard one designer had slapped onto the ship. Looking along the ship, he noted a trio of massive turrets on her upper surface, much larger than a standard Colonial turret.

Behind her was a ship almost as large as the _Galactica_. The mobile shipyard was a dream come true for the weary engineers of the _Galactica_, as the old girl was in desperate need of repairs that could only be achieved in a shipyard. It had once been an Assaultstar, a ship built to bombard Cylon bases from orbit. But the project fell out of favour and the three Assaultstars built were rarely used in their primary role. The off-centre hull and un-balanced design did not sit well with Colonial commanders, and the massive bomb racks in a port pod had always been troublesome. The only saving grace had been the designed feature to prevent a catastrophic explosion in the racks taking out the whole ship. After the seventh such event, the Assaultstars were returned to the shipyards to be scrapped. But Scorpia designers had come up with a refit for the ships, and one had been saved from the scrapheap to try it out. That ship was now more than welcome here.

Next was an expanded Argo-ship. With twice as many greenhouse domes as a regular version, she would provide a boon for the fleet's provisions.

Four Colonial Mover ships trailed just behind the Argo-ship, and all five were surrounded by six military freighters. Faster and tougher than any civilian ship, they were also well armed and capable of fending off Raiders. Even the Cylons newer gunships had to be careful around them. Just behind that group a pair of Gemini freighters flanked a mineral ship.

Two of the lethal Tiger heavy destroyers glided besides the shipyard, their lethal battery of forward heavy beam lasers and pulsars gleaming, while surrounding the freighters were no less that twelve venerable Guardian destroyers. The Guardians were a staple of the Colonial fleet, having fought the Cylons for over eight hundred Yaherns. Their compact design allowed for a fast and agile vessel, while the row of light turbolaser gun ports down each flank had spelled doom for many a raider. The Tigers, despite being a new design, had also gained a fearsome reputation as warship killers, with no less than seven Baseships to their credit.

And lastly, bringing up the rear was a Searcher class explorer vessel. _'So that's how they've kept track of us.' _Adama thought, looking over the massive sensor pods fitted to the little ship.

For several microns everyone on the bridge watched spell bound, still struggling to believe the evidence of their eyes. Nearly all of them expected to wake up and discover that it had all been a dream.

Then a hail came in on Fleet Comm Line Alpha.

Adama brought it up himself, only half aware that the entire bridge crew were listening to him. The rest of him was focused on the face that appeared on the screen before him.

_"Commander Adama. Good to see you again, after all this time."_ The smiling face said. Adama felt his jaw drop slightly. He barely noticed the cheers around him as the bridge crew, indeed the entire battlestars crew, let their feelings loose and celebrated.

x x x x x x

A couple of centares later, Adama, Apollo, Athena, Starbuck, Athena, Sheba, Boomer, Bojay and the Council of twelve stood waiting at the end of the shuttle bay. Several dozen other warriors had turned out for the arrival of the shuttle from the _Thunderchild_.

As the boxy craft flew in, Adama could only shake his head slightly as he recalled the conversation he had had with the commander of the Thunderchild. Colonel Achilles had served on the _Galactica_ a half-dozen yahrens ago, as part of an experimental squadron. Back then he had only been a young Lieutenant, in command of a dozen fighters.

_'And now he's a Colonel, commanding one of our most modern ships.'_ Adama's thoughts were interrupted by the shuttle touching down. For a few microns nothing happened, before the entry hatch swung open. Quickly Achilles strode out, a sly grin plastered on his face. He wore the blue uniform of a Colonel like Tigh, but he also had a Warrior's jacket over the top. His almost black hair seemed to soak in the light, but his blue eyes shone instead.

As one, the gathered warriors cheered as the Colonel stepped forward towards Adama. Behind him a string of other officers stepped out of the shuttle.

Adama beamed at the younger man standing before. "The lords of Kobal bless you." He said warmly as they both grasped each others wrists.

"Well, I must have done something right these last few yahrens." Achilles quipped, his eyes dancing. He turned his head to look across at Apollo. "I heard about your promotion Apollo. Belated congratulations."

"Thanks, but you've got ahead of me." Apollo grinned, before the two old friends embraced in a back-slapping hug.

"Right place at the right time, nothing more." Achilles waved his rank off. "Now…" he began stepping back. "Where is that lovely sister of…" He was cut off as Athena stepped over herself to enfold him in another tight hug.

"Welcome back!" She said warmly, while over her shoulder Adama could see Starbuck shift his feet slightly. For a while, it had seemed that Starbuck would have lost Athena's attentions to the man from Scorpia. But then his transfer orders had come through, and the _Galactica's_ crew had to say goodbye to the quiet, yet popular and highly skilled pilot.

"Thanks. It's good to be back." Achilles's eyes wandered over the cavernous bay. It was clear to Apollo that he was remembering the old times.

Then his eyes came to rest on Starbuck, and a crafty light entered them.

"Ah Starbuck. Still here I see. You haven't managed to get rid of him yet Commander?" Achilles words were only jovial. During the time he had been stationed on _Galatica_, he and Starbuck had been at odds about everything but flying. "How many Vipers have you wrecked since I left eh?"

Starbuck just pulled his trademark grin out. "Only three." He replied, sliding a cigar from his pocket.

Achilles shook his head. "They still haven't cured you of that habit have they?"

Starbuck snorted. "The day I quit is the day I turn into a women." That quip brought a round of laughter from all gathered.

Adama used the break to take charge again. "Are these the captains of the other ships?" He gestured to the line of men and women who had followed Achilles out of the shuttle.

"Yes sir. We figured that you'd want to see everyone as soon as we arrived, so we decided that we'd all use one shuttle to get here and not clutter up your flight deck."

"Good thinking Colonel. Now, perhaps we should move on to the council chambers…"

"One moment Commander." Achilles politely interrupted Adama, sending a ripple of surprise across the gathered crews faces. One does not interrupt a Commander in the Colonial Fleet unless it was very important. In response to Adama's look, Achilles stepped back to the shuttle door. "I have something here that you are going to like, a lot." He looked into the open hatchway and then beckoned.

Slowly a woman stepped out, favouring her left leg. Her long hair had turned silvery and fell across her face, hiding her identity. Her clothing was clearly once fine material, and to be fair was still in good shape. Once she had stepped up to Achilles, she turned to face Adama and lifted her chin, her hair falling back to reveal her face.

As one, Adama, Apollo and Athena's jaws fell. As did the woman's.

"Illa?" Adama whispered, clearly in shock.

"Mother?" Athena gasped.

Illa could only gape, too stunned to respond with words. Remembering an old saying about actions over words, she took a halting step forwards.

Within the next micron, she was engulfed in Adama's arms, their foreheads resting against the others. Apollo and Athena stood each side, joining in on the family hug. Tears began to flow as at last she found her voice.

"Oh Adama, husband…" Illa looped an arm around her two children, pulled them to her.

As Adama hugged her again, he felt tears run down his cheeks. But he didn't care, as he was too busy thanking the Lords of Kobal for bringing the dearest piece of his heart back.

* * *

**DR:** I am such an old softy... Both in the story and for all you lucky people, since I'll update this every two days. Credit to Todd Boyce for designing a raft of Colonial warships, including the Protector, Guardian, Assaultstar and Searcher. 

**Jack: **So the next is...?

**DR: **On Monday. See you then. Oh, and don't forget to R&R!


	2. Family News

**DR: **As promised, here's the second chapter. I've also fixed the tiny spelling error in the first chapter too (man that's an embarressing one!)

**Zeke: **Hey, 'Word' didn't care either way, so you had no clue...

**DR: **Thanks Zeke, but I should have seen it before. Anyway, lets continue the story...

* * *

Chapter 2: Family News

"It's a miracle. A blessed miracle."

Adama still could not get over the sight before him. His wife Illa, alive and well, sitting with him in his quarters on _Galactica_. Illa herself seemed thunderstruck, as she refused to take her hand off him ever since she saw him.

After their emotional reunion down in the shuttle bay, Adama had decided to post-pone the meeting with the other ships captains in favour for some time with his wife. Achilles had not minded a bit, saying that he was going to poke around a bit, revisit his old stomping grounds. Adama knew that the Scorpia man, popular back when he had been a simple fighter pilot, would not be paying for his drinks for a while.

"Adama, love…" Illa sniffed, fighting down her emotions. "I never gave up hope, but when I learned that the fleet had been ambushed…" Her lower lip trembled. "I feared that you had died with the rest of them."

"I know. A lot of brave warriors, and too many of our people, died that terrible day." Adama drew her into a hug once more, reaffirming that she was real. "All the other Battlestars were destroyed."

She looked up at him, wonder in her eyes. "How did you escape?"

"I…" Adama couldn't meet her eyes. "At first I was going to stay, help defend the other ships until they could fight back, but then I learned that the raiders that were attacking us had not come from any baseships. Apollo had found two empty Cylon tankers just before he discovered the attack force. When he got back and told me this, I realised that something else was a foot. I had wondered why the Cylons asked us to meet them out there, with all our ships. And the missing baseships gave me the final clue."

Illa nodded, understanding in her eyes. "Because they were right above us, ready to attack."

"I realised the peace offer had been a ruse, a lure to draw our Battlestars away from our worlds. When I contacted Adar, he broke down. He could not believe that he had been such a fool. I tried to get through to him, but then…"

"Go on." Illa asked in the silence that had fallen on him, lifting his head with one hand.

"I saw the _Atlantia_ blow up. No-one could have survived the explosion." Illa could see the emotions that ran through her husband's eyes, the emotions he had felt that day, tucked away in his memory.

"For a micron I froze, unable to act. It was only when Tigh told me they had detected Baseships within striking range of our worlds that I could act again. And so…" He took a deep breath.

"I gave the order… to withdraw from the battle and head for home." His head fell again, hiding the shame in his eyes.

Illa nodded slowly, understanding and sympathy blooming in her mind. Adama had rarely run from a fight. "You did the right thing Adama…"

"Did I?" He looked up again at her, the shame and self-doubt clear. "I left those ships, all those warriors, in a mad, desperate rush to get home... to you. I didn't think about the fact that I had left my pilots out there alone, that the other ships were dying. I didn't even know what I was going to do, a lone Battlestar with no fighters against at least a half dozen baseships.

"Had I stayed and helped the others, more ships might have survived, and then we could have come back and fought the Cylons. Instead, I ran…"

"Adama." Illa hated to see him like this, and she pulled him to her once more, resting his head on her shoulder. "You don't know that. We didn't hear a lot about what happened out there, but we heard enough. Had you stayed, the _Galatica_ quite likely would have been destroyed too, and then there would have been no hope for our people. Instead, you did what you could, and save thousands of lives. And what's more important, you have given the survivors hope."

"Hope of what?" Adama asked. "An endless trek through the depths of space? Illa, I have no idea how long this voyage will take. I have no idea if Earth is the salvation of our people, nor do I know where it is. All I have is a direction and dreams." These thoughts plagued Adama every night, haunted his sleep. The self doubt that had set root during that terrible battle near Cimtar taunted him every day, but only now had he told anyone else about them.

"Sometimes dreams are worth fighting, and yes even dying for." Illa smiled at him.

Adama sighed longingly. "Oh, how did I survive without you?"

Illa smiled warmly, gently resting a hand on his cheek. For a long moment they stayed like that, reaffirming their dedication to one another. But then a dark thought that had been whispering in the back of her mind pushed forward. "Adama… What of our children?" He saw the fear in her eyes, but as ever Illa refused to back down and would face it head on.

Adama took a deep breath before he began. "Apollo… has been through a rough time. He found love, a beautiful wife, but… she was killed only a few short days after they were sealed." Illa gasped, a tear forming in her eye. "It has taken him a long time to recover from that, but I think he is starting to love once more."

"Athena?"

"She's been a lot too. One of the other survivors captured Starbucks heart, and for a while he tried to have both women. But in the end he left Athena to go with Cassie."

Illa nodded. "Well, that's not so bad. I was always a little unsure about him. Now Achilles… there's a good match. A real gentlemen." There was twinkle in her eyes as she said this.

Adama chuckled. "Yes well, we'd first have to get Athena's sprits back up. She seems to have lost interest in relationships after Starbuck, though it goes deeper than that. She told me about a conversation she had with Starbuck just after the Holocaust. She had told him that she was not ready for a deep relationship, not with the recent events so fresh in her mind. It was just after that that Starbuck found Cassie. Don't get me wrong, I do like her, but it pains me to see Athena beat herself up about that." He sighed again, a frown crossing his face.

"I don't think I helped matters any. I was forced to put her in a viper at one point…"

"You didn't!" Illa gasped, shock on her face.

"I had no choice! Nearly all my pilots were down with a disease. I needed pilots, so I improvised. To be fair she performed brilliantly, getting more than her fair share of kills. But after the ill pilots returned to duty, I had to bring her back to her station on _Galactica_. I don't think she was keen, after getting a taste of viper flying, but I think she understood. But after I had to assign her to teaching duties as well as her bridge post, she seemed to lose some of her spark."

"She'll forgive you, in time." Illa reassured him. She paused, her heart beating in her throat. "And Zac?" When Adama didn't reply for almost a centon, she knew what had happened.

"He… died. At Cimtar."

"How?" Illa's voice was a whisper.

"He had gone on patrol with Apollo, or rather Apollo and Starbuck arranged it so that he did. They told me later about that part, the guilt was eating at Starbuck. When they met the Cylon attack force, four raiders came after them. They defeated them, but Zac took a hit. When the whole Cylon armada came after them, Apollo rushed back to the Fleet, but he had to leave Zac behind, in a viper with only two working engines." Adama looked up at Illa, the pain and grief thick in his gaze. "They got him just short of the fleet."

Illa felt a wellspring of grief rise inside her. She had long thought her family was dead, but even with three of them alive, the loss of her youngest son still cut deep. But she could also see how badly it had affected Adama, who had to watch his son die, so close yet so far from safety. She didn't know if she could have witnessed that and continued her duty.

Shaking her head gently, she resolved not to break down, to be there for Adama. Her son Zac was dead, but at least her other two were still alive. At least for now…

Pushing those dark thoughts down, she turned a small smile towards Adama. "So, what's been going on around here? Tell me everything!"

Adama smiled warmly, and would have launched into the tale had not someone chose that moment to announce themselves at the door. With a sigh of exasperation, he stood up and moved through to the office half of his quarters. "Enter!" he called loudly and firmly, hoping that who ever it was would leave soon.

As the door slid open Illa stepped through herself. She rarely got to see how her husband acted when on duty before, and she was still curious. Both their expressions softened when Colonel Achilles stepped through the doorway. He smiled when he saw the two of them together.

"Ah, I hope I'm not disturbing?"

"Not at all." Adama answered him. He stepped forwards to shake Achilles hand once more. "I don't think I got the chance to thank you for rescuing my wife."

"Well, it wasn't just her, but when I realised just who she was, I knew I had to do it." Achilles bowed to Illa. "Sorry for keeping you in the dark about my suspicions, but I had to be sure."

"That's all right Achilles. You did what you had to do to ensure I didn't get my hopes up."

Adama was by looking between the two of them. "Care to explain Colonel?"

Achilles's grin didn't budge. "I knew that we were following a battlestar, but until almost half a yahren ago I didn't know which battlestar it was. I suspected it was the _Galactica_, but I couldn't prove it. It took looking through the data from Gamoray to confirm it, once we finally got round to looking through what we pulled from their systems before blasting the place."

"Well anyway, thank you. Now, did you have a reason for calling?"

"Just to tell you that the ships captains are waiting in the council chambers, and to hand you this." He held up a reader. "My ships log, plus the logs of the other combat ships. As Commander of the Fleet, you're entitled to review them."

"Yes, I'll do that later." Adama laid the reader down on his desk. "But now I think it's time I met these brave warriors who have served under you."

x x x x x x

As they walked to the chambers, Achilles filled in Adama on the various officers.

"We've got three majors in the fleet, two in the Tigers and one in the Shipyard. Major Gant of Picsea commands the _Pollex, _not brilliant but he gets the job done. Major Teran of Leo has the _Reaper_. He's a hard liner, wanted nothing more than to go on a rampage through Cylon space. Took a quite a bit to get him to come along. Major Pitt of Virgon has the shipyard _Matriarch. _He's cranky but knows more about shipbuilding than anyone I've met. Used to run the Scorpia Shipyards..."

Trailing behind the two men were Tigh and Apollo, while Athena walked alongside her mother. Sheba and Starbuck made up the group as they all headed down to the Council Chambers. Athena was still finding it hard to accept that her mother had returned from the grave, along with the one man who had rivalled Starbuck's place in her life. She found herself listening to Achilles as they walked, not really hearing the words but focusing on his voice.

"Go on, he's a good catch. Good head on his shoulders and unattached." Illa's voice snapped her out of her daze and she spun her head to look at her mother. Illa had a broad smirk on her face, one that Apollo wore a lot.

"Mother! Are you saying…? Why…?"

"Hush my sweet Athena. I saw the way you were looking at him." Illa soothed her while red raced up Athena's face. "I know you don't think your ready, and that this is not the time, but honestly, when is the best time?"

Athena hung her head. "Father told you about me and Starbuck huh?"

"Yes he did dear. Honestly, sometimes I couldn't see what you saw in him, but if you were happy, then so was I."

"I have to admit, these last few sectars I've wondered the same thing myself." Athena had forgotten the ease of opening up to her mother, telling her things and discussing her feelings in a way that she never could with her father.

"It's alright. Some day you'll meet the right man. Unless…" Illa couldn't help but tease Athena. "…You already have." Athena's only response was to blush brighter red.

Sheba, having overheard the two of them, sighed in frustration and loneliness. While she was as happy as the next warrior for Adama and his family, seeing the ease with which the normally stoic and impersonal Athena spoke with her mother reminded her of her own relationship with her long dead mother. It had almost been six yahrens since her death, and still the ache had not faded complete. It had been something she, Apollo and Athena had in common, as they had to deal with the recent loss of their own mother while she, having been in their shoes, could understand what they were going through.

And now the pain was compounded by the unknown fate of her father, Commander Cain. The living legend, he had survived for almost two yahrens deep in Cylon space, before crossing path's with the _Galactica. _Now, him and his ship the _Pegasus _were missing, all contact lost. The odds of him surviving that last battle with those two baseships were slim to none, and yet he had made a reputation for pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat.

Despite the painful memories it was buried in, she clung to the words that Count Iblis had spoken while she had been under his spell. 'You will see him again.' It had occurred to her that he might have meant see him again in death, but Sheba refused to believe it. Her father _had _survived, and she _would _see him again. She snapped her attention back to this man Achilles who was just summing up the last officers.

"…Captain Krin of Scorpia has the _Striker._ Young, but he does appear to have grasped the tactics of a Guardian quite well. And then there's the _Rosetta…_" He trailed off into a sigh.

"What about her?" Adama asked in concern. Concern that Sheba could understand.

Achilles sighed again before answering the Commander. "Just before she linked up with the rest of us, she suffered a stroke of really bad luck. A micrometeorite struck the bridge view port and punched right through. The blast shields dropped to prevent decompression, but that small rock went right through the captain and the XO before imbedding itself in the bulkhead."

"Ohh, nasty." Starbuck winced.

"Very. Neither man lasted long, not with holes bigger than two closed fists through them. Right now a junior officer's in command. She was third in command, and luckily was at her station. One centon later and she would have been in the line of fire."

"So why haven't you assigned a new captain yet?" Adama asked, pushing the awful mental image of the two unlucky warriors from his mind.

Achilles shrugged. "Frankly, I'm running low on experienced officers. Hell, I'm running low on qualified warriors period. We picked up a lot of people back on the colonies, but most were not in good shape. And with the almost constant attacks we've been making…"

"Your attrition has exceeded your supply." Adama finished for him in sympathy. "I understand son. I've been in a similar position for a while now. I still really need to sort out my own officer core."

Sheba looked at the older man sharply at that. What did he mean by that? Unfortunately they had reached the council chambers, once being used for the purpose they had been designed for, as a fleet command briefing room.

As they entered the expansive chamber and the gathered warriors stood to greet the fleet commander, Sheba continued to let that last sentence of Adama's roll round her head. Was she reading too much into it, or was he referring to the lack of 'proper' Squadron commanders? Apollo, as the only captain, was getting flooded trying to handle four squadrons at once. With a fifth squadron being formed, he would never keep up. Logically it was time for Commander Adama to promote people to command the other squadrons, and it was this thought that ran through Sheba's mind. _'Am I in with a chance?' _

x x x x x x

It was much later that day before Adama and Illa were able to spend some time alone together again. The meeting with the ships commanding officers and the Quorum of Twelve had dragged on for centares, mainly due to the councillors.

Now it was approaching the end of the day, and Adama was going over the logs of the other ships. But his mind was not really on the lines of text before him. Instead it was focused on one simple question. _'How did she survive?' _

He knew that he should not be looking for flaws in the picture, but after everything that had happened over the last yahren, he could not get out of the habit. Illa had not mentioned what had happened to her on Caprica, and Achilles only said that he and his crew had set down to rescue people trapped in an extermination camp, in which he had found her. He didn't even explain the limp that she now had. It was one more thing that bothered him.

"Adama, do you ever give yourself a break?" Illa asked from the deeper half of his quarters. He couldn't help but smile at her tone. Yes, there was no doubt about it. This Illa looked, acted and sounded like his Illa. _But_…

Glancing at his crono, he decided that it was time to turn in. But before that, he realised that he had to know what happened. Illa had dragged out of him the terrible facts of that day from his viewpoint. Now it was her turn.

Setting his mind Adama walked into the chamber. Illa sat on the bed, rubbing her shin with a pensive look. Her _left _shin, the leg she had been favouring all day.

"You in pain?" He asked gently, at which she looked up at him. In her eyes he saw a range of feelings tossing and turning. He could tell that she was debating with herself if she should answer him or not. In the end though, she simply sighed.

"Yes, it always hurts. Most of the time just a faint ache, but after being on my feet all day, it flares up."

"What happened?" He saw her hesitate, and could understand her reluctance. She had always been strong and proud, right from the first day they had met when she had been giving a speech backing the reduction in Colonial Military spending. Kneeling before her, his took her hands in his. "Please Illa, I have to know. What happened on Caprica? When I got to the surface, I found our home in ruins, burnt down…"

"I figured as much. You didn't get all the charring off that one photo." She chuckled briefly before turning serious once more. Her eyes unfocused as she looked back to that fateful day…

* * *

**DR: **Well, that's it for today. Next time we learn about what happened back on Caprica, and what Achilles was up to... Till then!

**Shadow: **And don't forget to review! Authors like that!


	3. Drifting Through Hell

**DR: **I'd just like to reply to a couple of points 'anon' made in thier review, since they were not signed in...

1) Despite all the peace hype and sneak attack, I can't see the cylons getting all the long range patrols... and the Colonials would be asking for destruction if they recalled EVERY ship. Besides, you don't know what I'm planing on sending their way...(evil laugh)

**Shadow: **DR, you're scarier than Hiltz when you do that...

**DR: **Really? (shudders)

2) Yep, Athena really got sidelined. I fully intend for her to return to centre stage.

3) 'Final Flight' eh? Well, all I can say is that it was purely non-intentional.

**DR: **Now, we learn how Illa survived Caprica, since I know many of you are wondering how she did so...

**Zeke: **Oh good, story time! (grabs bowl of popcorn)

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Chapter 3: Drifting Through Hell 

"That day, I was more than a little annoyed, despite the forthcoming peace treaty and the prospect of you and the children returning home full-time. With the looming peace, I had hoped that you would have been able to spend that day with me. But with the Cylons asking for the fleet to be there for the signing, that dream was foiled. So I resigned myself to celebrating on my own… when I got a call from Cathy." Adama had to think for a moment to place the name. An old, silver haired women came to mind, shorter than average, but with a big heart to go with her figure.

"She had arranged a party at her place for as many service wives as she could, and invited me along. At first I was reluctant, but then I figured that everyone else would be in the same boat as me, so I went.

"So there we were, waiting for the announcement while watching that lovely reporter Serina making her report from the presidium… what?" Adama had flinched slightly at the mention of Serina.

"Serina… she was the one Apollo sealed with."

Illa gasped again. "Oh no… lords that's dreadful! She was so pretty… full of life…" The pair of them allowed themselves to reflect on the cruelness of fate for a moment. With an effort Illa pulled herself together and continued her story.

"When the first explosion occurred, I just knew things were going to hades. I'd had a bad feeling all day, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. When I saw those Cylon fighters… I realised that we were doomed." She hung her head.

"I also realised that for their fighters to bombing our cities, then the fleet had to have been destroyed. And I knew you were with it, along with my children." Illa was quiet for a moment before she pushed on.

"I don't recall much of what happened around me, just people screaming and running about. But when I heard the sound of their engines, I snapped out of the stupor that I was in and ran myself. After that there was a bright glare and terrible sound, then nothing. I guess I blacked out." Adama could feel her hand gripping his tightly.

"When I awoke, the air was filled with smoke, and I could feel intense heat behind me. And the pain… oh lords the pain! Looking around, I realised that I had gotten out of Cathy's house just before it was hit. You remember how old it was, those tightly packed stone walls?" Adama nodded, his throat tense.

"I think that fact saved me. Those heavy walls contained most of the blast within the building. But…" her hand again moved along her left leg. "A chunk of the wall had come down on my leg were I lay.

"I don't know how long I lay there, feeling the heat of the fire coming from inside. And then I saw them." A shudder passed through her thin frame. "They marched up the street, pulling people from the ruins. I saw dozens of others being herded along, Cylons each side. When they reached me their gold plated leader looked at me for a long moment. Those were the longest microns of my life Adama. I could almost see the thought that was running through it's… brain. Kill me there, or bring a cripple along.

"I don't know what it would have decided, because a couple of captured warriors called out, offering to carry me. I think that's what tipped its mind. If the warriors were busy carrying me, then they couldn't run away.

"Two of them dragged me out, not caring about my leg. I was going to be killed soon, why bother taking care of me? Thrust into the arms of those two warriors, I joined those people.

"It was almost a centar later when we reached the camp, pitched in the Colonial Park. I saw people milling around, sobbing, crying. I don't know just how many. Rumours spread about a warship that was gathering survivors together, but everyone knew that only those who could get to a ship would escape. We were already trapped.

"A day passed, and I was getting edgy. Already a couple of dozen had died from their injuries, despite the best efforts of the few doctors captured. The Cylons did nothing but watch. I just knew they were either going to watch us die, or they were waiting for some order to come down to kill us all." At this point Illa half smiled, and Adama realised this was the point that things got better.

"I guess someone was smiling down on us. A gold one had walked over and ordered the beginnings of the executions. They drew their swords, clearly not wanting to waste laser fire on us pathetic humans, but before they could take one step laser fire cut them down." Her eyes sparkled as she recalled the sight.

"Those two landrams were a dream given form at point. They mowed those monsters down in microns. Those of us in the park knew to duck when they showed up, and the few warriors took the chance to act. Taking up the weapons of the fallen Cylons, they helped gun down the rest.

"Afterwards we were all hustled away, those of us unable to move or wounded loaded into the landrams. We found the spaceport in Colonial hands, and other landrams racing in with other people in tow." Illa sighed and her eyes darkened.

"But then things got worse again. We heard that the Cylons were coming back in force. There would be no time to get everyone away. And that's when I saw Achilles again. He had come down himself to oversee the rescue." Illa looked into Adama's eyes.

"I could see the turmoil in his eyes, even though he had not seen me yet. He knew there was not enough time, but he was desperate to save as many as possible. But who to save and who to abandon? He stood like that for almost a centon, blind and deaf. Then he made the call. Women and child would go first, and the wounded to be sorted into two groups: those who could be saved, and those who couldn't. Then sort the various groups by age, loading the youngest first.

"As the first shuttles were loaded he turned to the people, and asked for volunteers. Everyone knew what he was asking. Even if they didn't come back, the Cylons would reach us before the shuttles could lift. He was asking for people to buy time with their lives. He did ask that warriors or those with technical knowledge not volunteer as such people were going to be vital in the days ahead.

"I saw the best of mankind that day, and the worst. Many of the older men and women volunteered to stay behind, so that their children and grandchildren could escape. I saw those struck by grief for a lost loved one decide to stay and fight. And then there were those who tried to bribe their way on to a shuttle."

Adama couldn't help but smile. "I imagine Achilles was not receptive." He said, recalling the young mans opinions. He had always had a low tolerance of corruption.

Illa smiled with him. "No he was not. He had those people sent to the back. The poor man was forced to be everywhere at once. Other shuttles arrived or were found, as well as some older, short range craft, even a half dozen old fighters. Soon it came down to the last few, the wounded and the older people. Most of them didn't hold it against him. The survival of the human race was at stake."

Adama felt his tension rise, as he could guess where Illa had been in the priority line up. With a broken leg and older than most, she would have been quite low down.

"I was resting up with the other 'marginals', those whose wounds were bad, but not life threatening. Those ones had been moved to defence places already. Each one knew that they were dying, but Achilles managed to spend a micron with each one, impressing into they the desire to take as many Cylons with them as possible. I saw him pass up and down the lines, making the call for each one he deemed worthy of saving. His medtechs did what hey could to help, but in the end it was down to him alone." Adama could feel exactly what Achilles must have felt, for he had been forced to do the same himself. Deciding who lives and who dies, playing god. No one should ever have to assume that role

"Then… a warrior comes to him and tells him they've only got space for another five. He nodded, looking totally wretched, before asking if there was any space that could be found, even if it meant dumping equipment. By now we could hear the sounds of marching Cylons, our volunteers having engaged them a few centons before. I realised he was going to push it too far, stay far too long in an attempt to rescue as many as possible, so… I sat up a bit and yelled at him to get going. And that's when he saw me.

"I think it stunned him at first. I wasn't exactly looking too good at the time. He steps over, before bellowing out for the doctor. When he gets there, Achilles rips him a new one, demanding to know why I wasn't put on the first shuttle out. The doctor fires back his earlier orders, but Achilles cuts him off, telling him that, and I quote, 'the wife of one of the greatest Battlestar Commanders ever will not be left to die here!'. Needless to say, I was quickly carried on board..." Illa trailed off before she started giggling.

Adama heard her and knew why she was laughing, but he couldn't help the silly look on his face. Her words continued to run round his head. "He really said that?" To get praise out of Achilles had always been difficult. It was about as hard as trapping Starbuck in one of his scams.

Illa nodded in all seriousness. "Yes he did. I think it was only then that people realised who I was. In the end he got another dozen people away before he had to go. I watched out the window at the flashes of laser fire as we lifted, where those left behind sold their lives to cover us." A sob broke past her resolve at last.

"I can't imagine what those poor souls felt, seeing the last shuttle lifting off and abandoning them to their fate. I know that they had accepted it, and decided to stay behind to allow others to escape, but even so…" Adama slipped his arms around her, trying to comfort her.

"But I'll never forget the look in Achilles eyes. He knew what he had done, what he had been forced to do. As reports came in from the other ships, each one operating independently, I was almost sure that he was going to break down and cry at one point. He looked like a man with the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders." Illa had to take a few centons to calm down before she could continue.

"I ended up staying on his ship, assigned one of the guest quarters. I think it was his way of showing respect. I told him not to bother several times, that were most likely families that could use the space better than I, but he refused to listen. In the end, I just accepted it." Illa now looked once more into Adama's eyes.

"I know you've been under a lot of stress Adama, But Achilles has been under the same stress himself, if not more. He took a lot of risks to try and confuse the trail you were leaving. He risked his ship again and again to lure the Cylons away from those small colonies you passed… Don't worry, he unloaded his passengers before each time. He spent centares worrying not only about his own people and the people on the other ships in his 'command', but also about you and your fleet. Everything he has done, he did to help you escape. I hope you can help him now. He's warrior, not a politician. He struggled to maintain order and keep his people's sprits up. You have a foot in both worlds, so you are uniquely suited to running this show. Achilles may be a leader of warriors, but he's not a leader of a nation."

Adama sat there, amazed at Illa's words. He had thought that he had the short end of the stick, trying to keep the Colonial way of life together. But now he realised that someone else had to do the same thing without the knowledge and experience or the skills that he had. And it was made much harder with everyone scattered far and wide. No, Achilles had been under much greater pressure than him.

"Well, I'm pleased you think so highly of him. And I understand what you mean. Achilles was never very good at the politics side of things, even as a lowly Lieutenant. He is a skilled warrior though, and I'm overjoyed to be able to call on him once more." Adama's eyes wandered back to her leg. "What about you? Your… wound?" He asked, worried about her. Colonial medical technology could do wonders, but it did have limits.

Illa hesitated for a micron. "His ships doctors did what they could, but for over two sectares I was unable to walk. It's taken me almost a yahren to get to where I am now. My treatment is still ongoing, but… I don't think I'll ever walk properly again."

Tears formed in Adama's eyes. The thought of his proud wife humbled so, it stung his heart. And he knew that such a weakness cut her deep too. She had thrived on her independence before they were sealed, and such a wound would terribly hinder that. For the rest of her life she was going to be dependent on others, something he knew that she abhorred.

"But we're still together… and we have Apollo and Athena" He stated the truth, and in her eyes he saw joy sparkle once more. He knew that while she valued her freedom, she valued him and their children more. With them, her lost independence would not be such a hindrance.

"And now, at last, we can make up for all that lost time…" He told her gently as he moved round to lay down besides her. Illa twisted around and laid down herself, resting on her right side facing him. With their arms round each other, they both fell into the deepest, calmest sleep either of them had experienced since the holocaust.

x x x x x x

Achilles sat in the officers club, a mug of Ambrosa in his hands. Like all the others since he came to the fleet, other warriors had paid for it. The feelings of good will and gratitude seemed inexhaustible.

Right now though, he wished simply to forget. Tipping the mug back, he drained it in one slow draught. He knew that he really ought not to drink himself out here on the battlestar, but right now he didn't really care.

_'I did it. I got all those people back to the fleet. I've almost single handily rebuilt the Colonial Military. I'd say that allows me to flout convection… this once.' _

Leaning back in his seat, his eyes wandered around the room. He saw that most of the officers had drifted away, only a few remained at the bar, tired from a long day. Continuing his sweep, Achilles's eyes landed on the flags that hung near the back of the room. Each flag corresponded to one of the four squadrons that called the _Galactica _home. He easily recognised the flags for Blue and Red squadrons, but the other two were unfamiliar. Ah well, he'd learn soon enough.

As his eyes wandered further, he found what he had been looking for. There on the wall was a larger version of the unit patch that remained on his warrior jacket. The bright blue twelve pointed starburst with a viper in the middle brought back fond memories. Memories of his time on this ship, running his first command, that experimental attack squadron. _'Seems like everything since then has been either experimental or untested…' _

"I'd thought I'd find you down here." Achilles turned his head back to find Starbuck standing before him, Apollo just over his shoulder. He managed to pull a smile out as the other two warriors sat down at his table. "Hope you don't mind us joining you, colonel."

"Don't worry Starbuck. I don't bite."

"So, why are you here anyway?" Apollo asked, forthright as ever.

"Oh, just having a quiet little celebration of my own. I've achieved a lot in the last few sectares. And now at last I can lay down the burden I've carried since the Holocaust."

"Yes… I heard about what you've been through." Apollo said sympathetically. He had been talking with some of the new captains, and they had explained what Achilles had done to ensure as many people as possible survived.

"So you understand…"

"Yes."

"Good. Just so we're on the same page."

Starbuck frowned. "Pardon me, but you don't seem yourself right now pal." Achilles lifted his from the seat back where he had rested it to look Starbuck in the eye. The pain and guilt shone through loud and clear.

"I've seen too much Bucko. Seen too fragging much." Looking down at his mug, Achilles sighed once more.

"You going for another round?" Apollo asked, worry in his voice.

"Huh? Oh no. No, I've had enough. Got a long meeting with the commander tomorrow… and I need to get back to my ship, my _Thunderchild_." Slowly Achilles pulled himself upright before stepping towards the exit slowly.

"You sure you alright?" Starbuck called.

Achilles paused at the door to look back. "Oh I'm fine. Now this loads off me, I can now do what I do best. Kick Cylon ass." And with a ghost smile he left the bar.

* * *

**DR: **And there we are. I hope that answered all your questions about how she survived. Next time, we hear things from Achilles POV.

**O'neill: **And don't forget to review!


	4. War Stories

**DR: **And now we hear the tale from Achilles POV. Plus something else...XD I'm using an element from the novel version of BSG here BTW. Oh, and the Defender is another Todd Boyce ship.

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Chapter 4: War Stories

Adama looked up at Achilles entered his quarters the next morning. The younger man looked a little worse for wear, but he clearly was determined to do his duty. "Late night?" He asked gently. Apollo smirked at the look on Achilles face.

Achilles slumped into the seat before Adama's desk. "It is obvious?" He asked, passing a hand over his eyes. Adama just nodded.

"I'm sorry sir. It's just… at last I've managed to get this fleet together. It's been a long yahren…"

"That it has. I don't blame you. You've endured much, and I'm proud that you have stayed true to your belief and our cause. My wife is very impressed with you."

Achilles looked up sharply, eyes wide. Apollo also looked startled. "Really? We did kind of, butt heads a lot…"

Adama smiled. "So did I when I first met her. Did you know that when I first saw her, she was speaking out against the Colonial Military, saying that we wasted money?"

Achilles looked shocked for a second, before chuckling. "No sir, I didn't. I knew she was politically active, but I never thought she had apposed our line of work."

"It wasn't the warriors, just the high command." Adama's mirth passed. "Illa told me about what you did… back on Caprica. As well as everything you've done since then. You're a credit to the uniform."

Achilles's head lowered. "Tell that to the faces of those I had to leave behind…"

"I know what you mean son. I see them too…" Adama could see how the weight of that guilt was slowly crushing the young man. The Scorpia tribe always had a tendency to feel things far more deeply than any other tribe. While to an outsider they could appear cold and self-centred, unwilling to help those in need, this stemmed more from a philosophy of self-reliance. They could be judgemental, but accepted that their opinions were their own, and recognised that other people had their own views.

Achilles suffered worse because he was considered 'strongly Scorpionic'. He showed those traits more than most. He could be stubborn and difficult in his own views, but when he cared he would thrown heaven and earth into helping. Scorpia's tended to be driven by their passions, and Achilles was more driven than most.

"Achilles, you've achieved far more than anyone could have thought possible. I know you had less ships to look after, most of which could take care of themselves, but it was still a mighty feat keeping them together and maintaining a goal. You should be proud of yourself."

Apollo looked between the two, seeing how similar they had turned out, yet also the differences between them. While Adama had never hinted that he was haunted by his decisions back then, it was clear that Achilles was. But on the other hand Achilles was the kind to take such actions, instinctively knowing they were the right ones.

Achilles lifted his head once more. "Thank you sir. That means a lot to me."

Adama smiled. "Well, I hope this shows the depth of my appreciation." He glanced down at the reader before him. "Now that our fleets are combined and we're currently safe from the Cylons, I'm going to reorganise the warriors. It's long past time that I clean house and rebuild the chain of command." He looked apologetically at Apollo. "While it was just my ship, I could get away with a very loose system, but with all these other ships now…"

"You need to define who has jurisdiction where." Achilles finished nodding. "I'll help any way I can sir."

"I know you will, which is why I'm planning on making you second in command of the Fleet." Adama and Apollo watched as Achilles's face dropped in shock. His eyes widened rapidly.

"You… serious?"

"Absolutely."

Achilles opened and closed his jaw for a few microns before more words came out. "Would I have to deal with the civilians?"

Adama did chuckle this time. "No. I'll handle that side. I am president of the Quorum of Twelve now remember."

"Well in that case I'll accept. Thank you sir."

"You deserve it. Though I have to tell you, If Commander Cain and the _Pegasus_ turn up again and stay, you'll be bumped down a notch."

Achilles smiled. "That's fine sir. Less chance of me having to deal with those old fools."

The three of them laughed heartily at his quip at the council. After a few microns Adama stood up before crossing the room. "Would you care for a drink?"

"Do I have a choice?" Achilles quipped. "Something light if you have it. Afraid I hit the Ambrosa hard last night." Adama quickly filled three glasses before returning to his seat.

"So, let's start with your ship Colonel. I had a look at the initial proposal for the Battlecruiser design, but I take it things changed since then. Care to tell me about your ship?"

"Sure sir." Achilles stretched his legs out before continuing. "I won't bore you with the reasons behind the idea, so I'll jump straight into how my ship got mixed in. My squadron was based on her at the time of her last engagement, though I had moved up to Strike Captain by that point. Afterwards, I was pretty much the only officer still standing. The colonel was wounded, missing a leg, and the Major was dead. So technically I was acting captain.

"We were towed to the Scorpia shipyards, where the prototype of the new class, _Predator_ was being built. I'm not sure who got the idea, but it came down that they wanted run a second experiment using my ship. It was hoped that it would be easier to turn a Protector into a Predator than to scrap the first and build the second from scratch. _Thunderchild _was a perfect test craft, after having already been half torn apart by the Cylons.

"Some of the original design specs were changed on the fly. Mostly they were lessons learned on _Predator_, so they got them right on _Thunderchild_. For instance, the original design had two heavy beam lasers in the bow, but the power feeds kept burning out. So for _Thunderchild _they mounted twin fast-charge mediums instead of each heavy. She's got another two medium ad four light beams along her flanks. The missile tubes and racks were removed to make room for more stores. We kept the full array of turbolasers, with a few minor tweaks. But the main difference was added after the Cylons first attacked the Shipyard.

"You see, despite the orders to cease work once the peace offer came through, the personal at the shipyard were not totally convinced. They carried on work, albeit at a slower pace. So when the Cylons attacked, both ships were almost ready.

The two Defenders assigned to the yards did the bulk of the fighting, but we gave them some cover. Even managed to bag ourselves an older Warstar in the bargain. But things didn't go all our way. _Predator_'s engines were damaged, while my six turreted light beam lasers were wrecked. I don't think the Cylon raiders like me carving their homes apart with them." Adama and Apollo smiled with Achilles.

"Besides that, several of my secondary weapons were also wreaked. One Defender was without power, the other had major hull fractures. Half our vipers gone." Apollo winced at that little fact. He knew about heavy pilot losses.

"We knew that it was only a matter of time before the Cylons returned, so we had to act fast. Already a number of ships were gathering around us, mainly freighters and a couple of Guardians – the _Striker_, _Rosetta_ and the _Andrasta_ - who had been on long patrol. So we had to do something.

"_Predator_'s engines were too badly damaged to easily fix, so the decision was made to bring my ship to full effectiveness first. The engineers worked like the clappers to strip weapons off the Defenders to not only replace my lost weapons, but also finish the _Pollex. _She had almost been finished herself, just needed her teeth and a crew. Thing is there were no spare light beam laser turrets."

"So what did you use?" Adama asked as Achilles took a sip from his drink.

"Remember how the Tiger's mount mega-pulsars captured from the Cylons?" Adama nodded. "Well, we stripped six twin mega-laser turrets from the wreck of the Warstar, and mounted them on my ship instead of the beam lasers."

Adama leaned back in his seat, eyes wide. Research had been trying to copy the Cylon's mega-lasers for yahrens, but had never managed it. Their range and hitting power made any other heavy turbolaser redundant. Apollo looked startled. Having been on the receiving end of a barrage of those weapons, he knew what they could do. Plus the psychological impact of facing such long-ranged weapons was considerable.

"Those things have been a godsend. Man those Cylons know their weapons. You realise they use less power that our light beams, but have double the range and do more than half as much damage again over time?" Achilles shook his head. "They really helped us out since then."

Adama nodded, chuckling at the thought of turning the Cylons own weapons against them. "What about the other ships?"

"Well, the wreaked Defenders were stripped of anything and everything, and their crews transferred to the _Pollex_, the _Matriarch_ and my ship to make up the numbers. I took aboard the remaining Vipers and organised them into two squadrons, backed up by my old flight wing. The remaining pilots went to the _Matriarch._ _Predator_ was left with a skeleton crew. We also shifted personal around to get all the freighters going and took everything from the shipyard that wasn't nailed down, and a few things that were." Achilles chuckled at some memory of that day, and even Adama couldn't keep a straight face as he thought about what could have been taken.

"We had already begun to get people off the Colonies, coordinating with the others ships as they returned from their patrols. We used _Illuminati_ as our comm centre. Just like you, anything that could fly was pressed into service. We had more fighters than we had pilots, mostly the older Scorpions, the old 6th Millennium fighters.

"Then the Cylons returned, and they meant business. They brought a Hades Basestar up, with a squadron of gunships in support. We had already decided on a battle plan, but it was still hard to act on." Achilles looked glum.

Adama already had an idea of the plan. "_Predator_ drew their fire, buying you time to escape." He stated.

Achilles nodded. "Yes... They drove right into the heart of the Cylon force, one squadron of fighters flying cover. We didn't have room for them, even with fighters waiting to land in the Guardians shuttle bays." He paused to take a drink.

"I want it on record that they took out a Hades alone. I'll never forget the image of her, burning from stem to stern, ploughing right into the core of that baseship. She broke it in two before her engines went up, ripping what was left apart. After that it was easy to slip away. They died heroes."

"Indeed." Adama agreed. It had been a noble sacrifice.

"After that, it was mainly a case of avoiding the Cylons while we picked up as many as we could before heading out ourselves. At first we weren't sure which way to go, but _Illuminati_ was outfitted with extended range surveillance, tracking and scanning systems. Seems her last op had been long range monitoring of Cylon supply lines. She was able to pick out your ion trail.

"After you left Carillon, we decided to shadow you, watching your back as it were. Gave us a scare when you entered that void, but _Illuminati's_ sensors came through again. Since then we've stayed close, but not too close. I had my fleet split apart and take multiple vectors, each element crossing your path every now and again. They would also link up and exchange supplies, people, news and ships before heading off again. The idea was to so totally confuse the Cylons that they wouldn't know which way you had gone. The rest… well you know already."

Adama sat in thought for a centon, contemplating Achilles story. It matched the logs he had been reading last night and this morning, and sounded like something he would do himself, had he not been charged with the defence of the two-hundred odd civilian ships.

"Sounds like you've fairly busy." Apollo commented. Achilles regarded him with a serious gaze.

"You have no idea…"

"So…" Adama sat forwards again, pulling up a squadron rooster on his reader. "Fighters. Apollo, what's our current situation?"

Apollo leaned forward a little. "I've got Red, Blue, Silver and Bronze Spar squadrons up to thirty fighters. I still need to fill the last flight for each. I've got enough pilots to form a couple more squadrons after that, but I'm coming up short on fighters."

"Silver Spar and Bronze Spar?" Achilles queried. "Weren't those the _Pegasus's_ squadrons?"

"They were. Cain transferred them to us when he... left." Achilles nodded, accepting that answer for now. He could get the details later.

Adama turned to him now. "What about you? You said before that you had more fighters than pilots…"

"Yes, that's still true." Achilles shrugged. "I've managed to keep my two squadrons, Black Knight and White Knight, at full strength. And so far we haven't lost one of my babies." All three men grinned at his name for the twelve Viper mark II-B's. They had been the experimental squadron he commanded on the _Galatica. _Vipers with much heavier armour and weapons than normal, they were much better at killing warships than a normal viper, but tended to struggle against Raiders. True they could take much more punishment, but they didn't _like _to have to.

"I've also got two flights of six Vipers in the Tigers, one each. Also _Matriarch _has a full squadron of Scorpions ready to go, manned by older pilots who remember how to fly them." Achilles looked down at his reader to check his memory. "There's also another three squadrons worth of Scorpions tucked away in crates as spares within her bowels, and a couple of squadrons worth of Viper spares. We don't have the parts or the tools, yet, to build full Vipers, but we can stock you up on any spares you need."

"Good, that's something we're getting really low on father, Viper spares. I know the Foundry ships have been working to make new parts, but they not as good as proper ones."

"I know son, it's a sign of the times." Adama faced Achilles. "What about warship parts?" Achilles referred to his reader once more.

"Well, we've gone through the bulk of our lighter turbolaser weapons, but there's still a modest amount left. And _Matriarch _still has one bay filled with warship grade armour that we haven't touched yet."

"Excellent. _Galactica_ may carry her own supplies, but we're running low. I had began to worry as to how we could patch her up again after the next fight. But if you've still got…" The buzz of the comm system interrupted him. "Yes?" Adama barked into the mike.

_"I'm sorry father, but the _Illuminati _is on the comm. The captain wishes to speak with you."_ Athena's worried voice came over.

"Patch him through." Adama's voice softened as all three men turned to face the wall next to the hatch. The screen lit up and displayed the face of the _Illuminati's_ captain, a captain Ricen. Thin and hawk faced, he matched the common idea of an intelligence officer.

"Yes captain, what is it?" Adama asked.

_"I'm sorry to interrupt Commander, but we've picked a contact on the edge of our scanners. It's following almost the same course as the Galactica's, and whatever it is, it's big." _

"How far out is it?" Achilles asked his voice calm.

_"Twenty-five centares out."_ Apollo's eyebrows rose at the captain's reply.

"Very well." Adama told him. "Keep an eye on it and alert me when you get any idea of what it is." Captain Ricen nodded before the screen blanked.

"Twenty-five centares out…" Apollo breathed. "Now I see how you managed to stay ahead of the Cylons. _Galactica_ can only see twelve centares."

Achilles smirked. "I did say that _Illuminati_ had extended range sensors. We reckon a BaseStar has a range of about thirteen centares, so we've managed to tip-toe around them."

"In any case, we need to know what it is before doing anything. How close did you have to get before you knew what you were dealing with?"

Achilles frowned. "Generally about ten centares out for a detailed look, fifteen for a reasonable one enough to ID them. Except for a Basestar or a Cylon Tartarus, where we could ID them at twenty and eighteen respectfully. Something about their drives makes them quite distinctive."

Adama relaxed. "Well then, we should have plenty of warning if the Cylons try to catch us again."

Achilles smiled. "That's why I made her stay at the back sir, to give us maximum warning."

"Good thinking Colonel. Now, as for squadron commands… Achilles?"

"Both Black and White Knight have a captain in command, plus the usual scattering of flight-sergeants. Currently Black has three flight-sergeants, each leading a flight, while White has a Lieutenant and four sergeants backing up her captain. He's a little green behind the ears, but so far has shaped up nicely. Though I think that's partly because his Lieutenant has been handling most of the paperwork for him. She's good at the details."

"She?" Apollo looked at Achilles sharply.

"I couldn't afford to turn away any gifted pilots." Achilles stated calmly. "I know convection frowns on women combat pilots, and to be frank I don't really see the problem most of the time, as long as their good enough to handle it." He paused for a micron. "I will admit though that I'm not entirely comfortable doing so."

"To be fair Achilles, you're right. I too am reluctant to place women in vipers, but we don't really have a choice right now. It's a shame that only times like these do we learn what is truly important in life. Which rules and regulations are worth keeping and which are not. Remember what happened to the rules against crew members having relationships with each other?"

Achilles smiled. "Oh, I remember those. I had to do a piece on them back in the academy. Did they really think that saying 'You can't do that!' would stop people having feelings for each other? I mean, I understood the concerns about divided loyalties and clouded judgement, but honestly, if they wanted unfeeling drones they should have recruited Cylons!"

Adama chuckled with Achilles while Apollo looked horrified at the mere joke.

"Well, back to business. I'm afraid I've let thing slide for too long here on _Galactica_. I've only got one captain, Apollo here. There are four promising Lieutenants and a dozen able flight-sergeants, but all four squadrons have of sort of blurred together."

Achilles smiled. "Don't worry about it Commander. I'll let you off. Though there is one other thing…"

"Yes?"

"The _Rosetta_." He stated his smile dropping. "Her current brevet-captain is still too green for a command role. I think she'll make an excellent first officer, but someone needs to fill the command slot."

"Hmm, I have to agree after looking over her record. The last report by her captain states that 'She's a hard-working and steady officer, but lacks flare and creativity.'" Adama looked at his reader, deep in thought.

The comm system chimed again. _"Father, the _Illuminati's _on the line again." _

"Patch him in." Once more Captain Ricen's image came up on screen.

_"Sirs, we've managed to get some partial readings. The scans are refusing to lock down, but we've got some basic data."_ He looked off screen, clearly checking a reader.

"_She's about the same size as a Battlestar, with a mass estimate of at least eighty percent of one. She's moving at just over point two light speed, heading unchanged. She'll pass within five centares at closest approach. Currently nineteen centares out." _

"Thank you captain. Stay on the line for the moment." Adama turned to regard Apollo and Achilles. "What do you think gentlemen?"

Achilles sat back, rubbing his chin. "Hmm, I'm not sure, but doesn't sound like any Cylon ship I know of. Anything new would use those new drives, and _Illuminati_ would pick those out clearly at that range with that size. Captain, what's the warbook's closest approximation?"

Captain Ricen looked away for a long moment_. "Warbook refuses to lock in sir, but I don't think its Cylon. Power signature is all wrong." _

"Maybe we should send out a patrol?" Apollo suggested.

Adama sat quietly for a centon, weighing things up. If it was Cylon, then sending out a patrol would lead the Cylon Empire after them. If it was not, then it could be a potential first contact situation, and that was a whole new can of worms.

At last he made his mind. "We'll launch a patrol out, but we'll make it a reinforced one. Apollo, take the whole of blue squadron. Achilles, send out half of your 'specials'. They'll look like just one squadron until they get close, at which point if they are hostile, then it'll be too late." He turned back to Captain Ricen. "Captain, keep trying to ID that ship. Send your sensor data to _Galatica_."

_"Understood sir, we'll keep at it." _Ricen signed off.

Adama punched a direct line with the bridge. "Omega, you should be getting a data feed from the _Illuminati_. Coordinate with Rigel to work out a best intercept point for a mixed flight of Vipers and Viper-B's. Launch in one half centar."

_"Aye Sir." _Omega responded crisply. Achilles stood up with Apollo.

"Well sir, I'd best get back to my ship. Need to get my pilots woken up."

Adama smiled. "Once again, thank you. You've made us far stronger than we ever hoped to be."

"Just doing my part for the Colonies sir, even if they are gone."

Adama could only smile after both men had left. Looking down at the list of posts and names on his reader, he considered the juggling act he had to achieve. Fitting the right people into the right slot was going to be a challenge. He already had several figured out, but the _Rosetta_ could be a big problem. Who could he assign there?

Unbidden a thought entered his mind, causing Adama to smirk…

* * *

**DR: **Now what could that be... find out next time!


	5. Return From The Dark

**DR: **Thanks for all the reviews people! Reviews are nice...

**Carter: **...But more would be better?

**DR: **Correct Carter, as ever. Now, time to put two sets of rampant speculation to rest... Oh, and the Viper-B is one of mine XD

* * *

Chapter 5: Return From the Dark 

_"Transferring control to Viper fighters..." _Apollo sat in the familiar confines of his viper, listening to the launch controller Rigel as she once more prepared to send them out. The young woman had been the 'Voice' of _Galactica _to her fighters for yahrens now. Apollo had to wonder if she ever wished to move on from her post.

_"…launch when ready." _

Almost as soon as she said those three words, Apollo pressed down on his turbos, and the Viper leapt forwards. As he hurtled down the tube once more, Apollo felt the same adrenaline rush pour through him. Nothing beat this feeling of power!

All too quickly his fighter blasted from the mouth of the tube, closely followed by the other fighters of Blue Squadron from their own tubes. Cutting the turbos, Apollo rolled to the right into a long sweeping arc that took him around the bulk of both the _Galactica _and the _Matriarch_ which had formed up alongside the Battlestar. Already the spars of the shipyard were unfurling, expanding out to form a cage to wrap around the battered battlestar. Once in place, the two ships would be slaved together so they remained in the same position relative to each other.

Apollo hoped that the crews of the _Matriarch _could restore the battlestar to her former glory. _Galactica _had been in many fights since her last spell in dock. And while a temporary mobile yard was not a fully equipped space dock, it was better than nothing.

As he flew back along the fleet, Apollo allowed his eyes to wander across each ship. Now that the two fleets had combined, the survivors were once again on the move, pushing onwards with their voyage. The work on the _Galactica _would slow the speed of the convoy, but it was needed. Even Apollo knew that. It had been a long hard road from the colonies, and every ship showed the marks of that trip. While ships didn't rust in space, at least not on the outside, wear and tear from space dust, micro-asteroids and other junk that floated through the depths did slowly erode away at ships hulls. Direct sunlight burnt away paint and markings, while the changes in temperature from light-side to dark-side could cause stress fractures to form.

Skimming past one of the Guardian's that now cruised on the edges of the fleet, Apollo couldn't help comparing them to Oviners marshalling their flock. Each lean ship idled along, maintaining a watchful eye on the fleet and the surrounding space. Apollo had seen Guardian's in action before, and he knew just how deadly they could be. While they could never stand up to a Basestar, or even a warship of note alone, they were death to any raiders that came too close.

Feeling indulgent, he dipped lower into the fleet to fly past the argo-ships. It felt good to say 'ships' once more. Everyone had been forced to tighten their belts when two of their three ships were lost. But this new heavy Argo ship replaced both the lost craft.

Brushing over the engine block of said ship, Apollo came face to face with _Thunderchild._ Seeing her from _Galactica_ was one thing, but to fly alongside like this was something else entirely. Her lean prow and compact design gave her a menacing look, the four bow mounted beam lasers gleaming like teeth. As he flew over the sleek 'head', Apollo witnessed the bright blue plumes that rocketed from each landing bay, three each side. Just beyond _Thunderchild _the 'squadron' formed up.

"Blue Leader to Flare Leader, you reading me?"

_"Loud and clear Blue Leader." _

Apollo's mouth dropped. "ACHILLES? What are you doing out here?"

Over the comm Colonel Achilles laughed heartily. _"Apollo, I haven't had a chance to fly a viper for almost a yahren now. With your father in command of the fleet now, I decided to exercise my right as a warrior and get some fight time in once more." _

_"Hey, you sure you remember how to fly?" _Starbuck commented, his tone jovial.

_"Starbuck, I WROTE the book on how to fly a Viper-B." _And with that the lead Viper-B with its distinctive blue strips and gold trimmed canopy spun around its long axis.

Apollo shook he head as he pulled up alongside Achilles. From this range the changes to a normal viper were clear. The heavy plating that covered sections of the hull including the recessed regions of the engines and underneath the cockpit bulked out the ships design, and stood out with their darker colour.

But even more clearly seen were the Viper-B's weapons. The lasers had been replaced with much larger and far heavier turbolasers, originally warship grade models. They packed twice the punch of the viper's lasers, but did lose out on the rate of fire and energy use. To allow for combating raiders, a third, normal laser was built into the leading tip of the top fin, just over the canopy. Apollo couldn't see from this angle, but he knew the belly of the fighter had also been slightly altered, to increase the bomb bay that was squeezed between the two lower engines. A flight of six Viper-B's could kill a cruiser faster than a whole squadron of thirty-six normal vipers. No wonder they were also known as 'Viper bombers'.

They paid the price for all this extra armour and weapons with a lower top speed and decreased manoeuvrability. But nothing else that size could do so much damage.

_"Apollo…" _Achilles voice cut through his reflections. _"…I'll take my flight to the back of our formation, so that your fighters screen me from view. If they are hostile, that will give us a few extra microns to get closer. You have command." _And with that Achilles drew back, his six fighters forming up loosing behind Apollo's force.

Now as one, the thirty-six ships sped off towards the unknown ship that was approaching from the rear, the direction of the Colonies and Cylon space…

x x x x x x

Illa was in the Life Station, waiting for Dr Salik to return from his examination of her old wound. Her leg had been shattered on Caprica, and had needed extensive rebuilding. Over the last yahren the doctors on _Thunderchild _had been forced to repeatedly 'break' the bones to bring them back to their original lengths. She shivered as she recalled what the lead doctor had been forced to do and tell her when she arrived on the _Thunderchild… _

"Siress, I'm afraid the damage is extreme. I don't know if we can ever fully repair it. Fragments of bone have broken away and are buried within your muscles. I doubt that any more than forty-percent of the bones are still in the right place. I have to go in and clean out the wreckage, and then we can see about how to go from there…"

That had been almost a yahren ago, and still the treatments were on-going. It had been humiliating to be confined to a wheelchair, something that so rarely happened within the colonies now that it was almost unheard of. And yet… the faint hope that her family had survived, as well as Achilles treating her as he would have anyway, with respect and dignity, had helped. He had come to her for help when dealing with the people, and even though they had clashed on many topics, he had earned her respect.

Illa turned her head to look up at her daughters face. Athena had come down to the Life Station with her, eager to spend time with her mother once more. She sat on the chair besides the examination table that Illa lay on, one hand clasped in hers.

Right now the two of them had fallen silent, after spending over a centar talking about a whole range of topics, from food and warriors to home. But now Athena looked troubled. "What's the matter dear?" Illa asked gently, shaking Athena out of her funk.

"Oh, it's just… The _Illuminati _picked up a ship on its sensors. Father's sent Apollo out to check it out."

Illa sighed as she let her head fall back. She had known that this went on all the time while her family had been away serving the Colonial Military, but actually being here was causing her heart to race in worry. _'He's a grown man Illa. Apollo can take care of himself better than most.' _

"So, let's talk about your brother. I heard what happened to his wife…"

"Serina? Yes, it was horrible. She looked so pretty when they were sealed…" Athena sighed. "I trained alongside her for the vipers when we nearly lost the whole of Blue Squadron to a virus. Only Apollo and Starbuck were unaffected." Illa nodded, motioning her to continue.

"Even then she looked like she had walked out of a fashion article. I actually… got a little jealous of her. She made that uniform look hot. Always had perfect nails and skin, even after several centares in the sims…" Illa smirked as she looked at her beautiful brunette daughter.

"Athena darling, you have no reason to feel jealous. You too look wonderful…" Athena blushed once more, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh… hi Athena." Both women turned to face the person who spoke. Illa's eye wandered over the short blond haired women who stood before her. Dressed in the standard tan uniform of a med tech complete with mid-length skirt, she saw a slim figure with a bright expression.

"Hello Cassie." Athena replied, her greeting not quite as warm as it could have been. Illa looked at her strangely.

"So… you must be Illa, Adama's wife."

"Yes, and you are?"

"Oh, mother, this is Cassiopeia."

"Cassiopeia… that's a lovely name. 'Fairy Queen' right?"

"I've always thought so." Cassie's smile lit up her face.

"So what's my daughter's problem with you?" Illa asked, cutting through the feldercarb as ever. Athena looked mortified, while Cassie blushed.

"Just a man…"

"Ah… young Starbuck."

"Yes, him." Cassie sighed. "I have to admit at times I have wondered if it was just my past that intrigued him."

"Oh?" Illa raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Mother, I'm not sure…"

"It's alright Athena. Its not like no-one else knows." Cassie turned back to Illa. "Up till the holocaust, I was… a Socialator."

Illa felt her eye's widen. "Oh…" While she had a broad approach to life and people, the issue of Socialators was one that she still had a little trouble with.

"I guess you preferred it when I was just a humble Med-tech."

"You'd lose." Illa recovered, smiling. "And I doubt you could be humble even you tried." This time Cassie blushed.

"So…" Illa sat up once more. "Tell me, how did you meet our brash Lieutenant?"

"He, Apollo and Boomer were making survey of the ships in the fleet." Cassie told her, taking a seat across from Athena. "Assessing things, finding out who needed medical treatment, that sort of thing. Well, I had a broken arm…"

Illa grimaced as she unconsciously rubbed her leg once more.

"So they pluck me out of there and onto the shuttle. I was glad to get away from there. There were a lot of the Otoris sect Gemonese on that ship."

"Oh lords I remember that group." Illa shook her head wearily. "I do understand them, but they took things just a bit too far…"

"Yes… after that I decided to help out anyway I could, so that's how I ended up here." Cassie waved her arm about to encompass the whole Life Station. "Say…" she leaned forward conspiratorially, a smirk on her face. "Did you know Starbuck before…?"

When Dr Salik returned, he found all three women laughing together. A sad smile crossed his face as he stood back for a moment as he witnessed them bonding together. It always amazed him that no matter their age, rank, job or social class, women could get along and find common ground with ease.

He focused on Illa for a long micron, taking in her face. Somehow he always had trouble picturing Commander Adama sealed, nor could he conjure the face of someone willing to marry such a driven man. Talk had suggested that Athena took after her mother a lot, but now he saw just how much she did.

_'Yes, the commanders a very lucky man…' _He sighed as he stepped over, tuning out their words until their focus came to him. Illa schooled her face into a semblance of calm.

"Well doctor?"

"Siress, from what I've seen, I can't imagine what you've gone through. But those _Thunderchild _doctors do appear to know their work." As Illa's face fell, he couldn't help but smile. "That doesn't mean that I can't do better. With the larger facilities here, I'm pretty sure I can repair nearly all the damage."

Hope blossomed in Illa's heart. "How much better are we talking here?"

"I won't kid you, you'll never fully recover." Illa nodded, having already expected that. Athena gripped her hand tightly in remorse. "But at the very least I can remove the pain. With a little luck, you'll soon be striding around this fleet with barely a limp. I'll need a couple of cycles to set things up, but I should be able to operate only the once, and then we'll see."

Illa felt tears in her eyes as she reached out and gripped the doctor's shoulder. "Thank you." She whispered, real feeling in her words.

"Well, just don't take up Triad." Salik warned her. "And don't expect to be wining any races."

"At my age?" Illa quipped, and once more all three women laughed together. Salik smiled before turning to Cassie.

"Cassie, I'm afraid I need you to tend to your duties now."

"Yes doctor." Cassie smiled sadly before facing Illa. "It was nice meeting you Siress."

"And you too." Gingerly Illa stood up, allowing Athena to support her. Despite her injury, Illa's pride refused to accept help from anyone but her family.

As they stepped out of the Life Station, she heard a mechanical barking. Turning her head, Illa spied a young boy trotting towards them, a bulky robot daggit at his heals.

"Athena!" He called excitedly.

Athena smiled at the lad. "Hello Boxey." The lad came to a stop just before them, the robo-daggit sitting by his feet.

"Where's dad gone? He said that he won't be going off so much anymore, since we crossed the gulf…"

"He's had to go and investigate something Boxey. You know as a Warrior he has to do these things."

"Yea, I guess…" Boxey replied sulkily.

"Hey, there's someone I want you to meet. Someone very dear to me." Athena patted Boxey's shoulder. "Boxey, this is my mother, Illa."

The effect on the boy was instantaneous. His head snapped up so fast Illa wondered if there was a highly compressed spring in his neck. Eyes wider than dishes looked up at her in awe. "Really?"

"Really." Athena answered him, her face spilt by a wide smile.

"Wow! Hey Muffy, dad's got his mum back!" This was addressed to the daggit droid besides him. It looked up with two round glassy eyes and yapped once. Boxey just grinned as he turned back to Illa. "So I guess I should start calling you grandma huh?"

"I err…" Illa looked across at Athena, confusion in her eyes. Seeing that her daughter was not going to help, Illa turned back to the young boy. "Sure… Boxey, right?"

"Yea. And this is Muffet." He rubbed the head of the droid which made a happy growl-crooning sound. "Why were you in the Life Station?" He asked suddenly.

"Now, now Boxey, there'll be plenty of time for such question in the future. Right now you have to run along to school young man."

"Arrghh…" Boxey moaned before turning on his heal. "Come on Muffy…" The droid followed the sulky lad, bouncing along with a sound of springs and servos. As they turned the corner Illa heard it yap once more.

"That's a… interesting young boy there." Illa stated, her eyes on the corner the two had disappeared around. "And since when did Apollo get a son?"

Athena's smile faded slightly. "He's not actually his son. Boxey was Serina's son, and when she and Apollo sealed, he became part of the family." She sighed. "I think caring for him allowed Apollo to get over Zac's…" There were tears in the corner of Athena's eyes now.

Illa looped an arm round her daughter as they carried on towards the bridge where Athena was due to begin her shift. For several centons the pair of them walked in silence, mourning the dead together. At last though Illa felt that she had to say something to brighten the mood.

"So tell me, has Apollo taken to anyone else since…?"

Athena shrugged. "Not really. He kind of shut down emotionally after she… died. Didn't really get involved in things as much as he did before the Holocaust. For a while he seemed like he had a death wish… he was always going on the risky missions."

"So what changed?" Illa prompted.

"Well, it was a couple of sectars after we met the _Pegasus_. Cain transferred the bulk of his crew and all his vipers to us, including his daughter Sheba. Well, she, Apollo and Starbuck found a crashed ship on a planet… along with someone we all thought was a survivor. He didn't act like one though, more like a king or ruler. He offered salvation, claimed he could save us all, if only we followed him and showed him allegiance."

Illa nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed. "How did Adama react to this?" If she knew her husband, he would not have taken it well. Illa herself did not like the sound of this man already.

"Father really didn't trust him. He kept asking just who this man was, but the answer was always the same… Count Iblis. But he had the people and the Council wrapped round his finger, and I'm afraid to say that included Sheba. She was enamoured by him. I don't think she wore a uniform the whole time he was here.

"I don't think it helped that we were constantly being buzzed by these strange lights, and our pilots were disappearing. I'm… I have to say even I was starting to believe him. He could do things, move things… without touching them! In the end Apollo and Starbuck went back to the planet that they found him on, and Sheba followed.

"What happened down there… we don't really know. I don't think even those three know for sure. We know that Apollo challenged Iblis, and that his hold on Sheba was broken and he disappeared straight afterwards… but not much else." A strange look crossed Athena's face.

"When they got back, just after all our missing pilots returned, the three of them started talking about a 'war' between Good and Evil, which father lapped up." Illa smiled. Adama had always been the sort who defined live into either of those two camps.

"They also gave us the direction towards Earth, but they don't know _how_ they know. I think it scared even them." Illa felt Athena shiver under her arm before she got herself back under control.

"Afterwards, Apollo was opening up more, laughing freer. And I'm sure that that episode was the point where… Sheba started having feelings for him." Athena suddenly grinned conspiratorially.

"I've heard rumours that just before he launched for his part in our engagement of that Basestar, the two of them had a talk. Or rather, she 'talked' with him…" Illa smiled widely with her daughter.

"So you think there is something between them?" She asked.

"I don't know right now. Apollo's been a little closed off since then, just like every other time he's had something on his mind. Only I'm sure I know what 'it' is."

Illa chuckled. "Well, at least he maintains his taste. First a beautiful reporter, then the daughter of the legendary Commander Cain…" Both women laughed this time.

x x x x x x

At that moment Apollo was thinking about very similar thoughts to his sister and mother. At the centre of his mind was Sheba, the highly skilled and attractive pilot off the _Pegasus. _Apollo felt torn in two and out here in the black was the one place he could truly sit and think.

Truth be told, he had been fighting his attraction for her for a long time now. At least since shortly before the 'Count Iblis' episode. Those few cycles were almost taboo between them both. No one liked to bring it up.

But he could still remember how he felt. Frustration at how easily Iblis had swayed the people, garnering support so quickly that Apolllo had wondered at one point if Iblis had some kind of spell going on. It certainly seemed that way with Sheba.

At that party after the Triad game, the first he had lost for a long time, she had had accused him of jealousy. Looking back, he deeply regretted the way he reacted to that. While he had been truthful - he _had_ had the safety of the fleet at heart - he had not told the whole truth. He hadn't realised it up till then, but he _was _jealousy.

Together they had decided to put the whole episode out of mind. But it still nibbled at his dreams. And after that the pair of them had gotten on better, despite the regular snapping at each other. Yet neither of them really meant what they said. Sheba had slowly become as close to him as Starbuck and Boomer were.

It had been Sheba who had laid out the next step. She had practically laid out her whole heart before him in that raider, and yet he had been able to fully respond. He had wanted to, to show her how much he cared, but something held him back.

Apollo firmly believed in the binding oaths of marriage. Yes Serina had been dead for a long time now, getting on for almost a yahren, but it still held problems for him. How could he move on with another woman after her?

And what about Boxey, the only living reminder of her life? He had been forced to go through so much change in his short life that Apollo had to wonder if he could take any more. Would it be really fair to make him have to adapt to a new person in his life? Could he honestly expect the lad to treat someone else like he treated his own mother? Apollo knew that he would not have been able to stay with his father had he sealed with someone else after the Holocaust, but then again the person who might of was Siress Bellobe, a frightening women by any regards.

No this was something that he needed to think about…

_"Hey Apollo, you planning on doing a deep space probe, or are you asleep?" _

Achilles's voice snapped him back to the present. Looking around, he noted that only Achilles's fighter was nearby. The others were slowly drifting off.

_"You even listening to me? You know I could bring you up on charges for that…" _

"I'm here Colonel." Apollo snapped.

_"Good. So why are you following the last vector?" _

Apollo sighed. "Just, thinking…" he told him as he turned on to the correct vector, hoping that would satisfy the Colonel.

_"Man, must be pretty serious if you missed the turn. Care to talk about it?" _

So much for _that _hope. Apollo really didn't want to at all, but he knew Achilles. Once he wanted something nothing could stop him. Apollo decided to try and answer him, without answering him.

"Women trouble Achilles."

_"Ah, women... Can't live without them, but sometime you can't live with them either. Sometimes you can't help but wonder if they are a completely different species." _Apollo couldn't help but be cheered by Achilles words. _"They can burn you up hotter than a star, and next micron freeze you to death. One look makes you want to die for them, while another makes you want to kill them." _He fell silent for a centon, clearly thinking himself. Apollo hoped Achilles would stay that way, but once again his hopes were dashed.

_"So, what's your trouble with the fairer gender my friend?" _

Apollo realised he was not getting away from this. Sighing he resigned himself to his fate. "I suppose you heard about me and Serina?"

_"Yes, I heard. I'm sorry for your loss. She was a lovely lady." _

"I know."

_"If there was a person who exemplified what we've been fighting for, it would have been her. Beauty and brains combined. I once had to do an interview with her, about the battle where _Thunderchild_ was nearly lost. She was good, but knew when to be discrete." _Achilles paused for a second. _"How'd you catch her?" _

Apollo chuckled. "It was her son. She asked for my help in getting him over the Holocaust and the loss of his daggit, and things… progressed from there."

_"Well, I'll give you points for originality on that one." _They had rejoined the squadron now, but Achilles maintained the private channel between them. _"And now I think I know your problem. You're feeling something for another woman, but you're afraid of betraying Serina's memory…" _

Apollo's heart caught in his throat. Trust a Scorpio to hit the nail on the head so squarely. Achilles may have been ruled by his instincts but he wasn't stupid… far from it.

_"So, who's the lucky lady?" _

Apollo didn't want to say, but he had no choice. He opened his mouth…

_"Sirs, I've got a contact, dead ahead. Target matches the data from _Illuminati_. Warbook does not, repeat does not recognise." _One of Blue Squadrons pilots yelled into the open channel.

_"Yoh, I've got it too." _Boomer added.

Apollo quickly shifted mental gears. "Any sign of fighter launches?"

_"Nothing. Not a fraking thing. I'm getting no comms traffic at all. Hell, I'm not even getting an ID signal." _

"Okay, here's how we play this. Flare Squadron, split up and do a full surface sweep. Blue Squadron, cover them."

_"Understood, we'll soon know who we're dealing with." _Achilles answered on the open channel, but before Apollo could breathe easy he switched back to the private one. _"This conversation isn't over Apollo." _

Quickly the six Viper-B's pealed off, five vipers of Blue squadron escorting them each. As they approached the ship Apollo strained to make it out. But even his sharp eyes couldn't find it. It was only when he saw a star disappear that he found it. "Watch out people. Target has a black finish. Watch for the silhouette."

Slowly the fighters spread out, forming a ring around the mystery craft. As they got closer Apollo began to make out details in the little light that reached out here. The black hull made it hard to see, but she was clearly somewhere in the region of a Battlestar in size, and it appeared to have similar lines…

_"Flares, switch to active laser scanners. Let's lift the curtain." _With their role as strike craft, the Viper-B carried a more advanced sensor package, with a few more tricks up its sleeves.

As he watched, fine laser beams leapt out from just under the cockpits of the six fighters, the faint ribbons playing back and forth as each ship slowed down. It was a tactical risk, but required if they were to get a good scan. Cruising down the length of the ship, Apollo looked hard at where the thin line that traced the hull was. But from that tiny sliver, it was impossible to tell exactly what it was. But one thing suddenly leapt out at him.

_"Oh man. It's not a black hull. It's BLACKENED." _Clearly Starbuck had realised the same thing himself. This ship had not started out with a black hull… it had been scorched black.

As Flare Squadron finished their sweep, Achilles came back on line. _"Okay, let's see what we ha…" _

"Colonel?" For a centon Achilles didn't answer. When he did, it was in a whisper.

_"Apollo… that ship… it's a battlestar. Or at least, it was…" _

Almost in a daze, Apollo looped around and headed back towards the bow, Achilles right besides him. From behind, it was clear now what it was, as the engines were still engaged. As they reached where the front of Alpha Landing Bay should be, they both slowed to match the mystery ship. Peering at it, Apollo tried to make out the name, but there was too much carbon scorching to do so.

_"Hang on, let me try something…" _

Apollo watched as Achilles engaged his laser scanners again. But this time he focused them on the region where the battlestars name should be. The lasers reflection lit up the area, and Apollo gasped in shock when he saw the name…

_PEGASUS

* * *

_

**DR: **Duh, duh, duh! I guess half of you expected that, but I hope I still surprised you. Next time, the mystery deepens, and Sheba needs a... moment. Till then!


	6. Ghost Ship

**DR: **Surprised? I hope so. Now we find out more...

* * *

Chapter 6: Ghost Ship 

For a long centon they sat there, their eyes fixed on the nameplate that his laser scanner continued to reveal with its sweeps. Now this was certainly not what they had expected.

Achilles's eyes wandered across the once mighty ship. What kind of fate could have caused this? The laser scans, when compiled together from all six fighters, had revealed that the _Pegasus _looked like a wreck. Hull plating pealed away and chunks taken out of her all over. He had never seen a ship so torn up still flying. Hell, Beta Bay was almost cut in two. _'What in the names of all the Lords of Kobal did Cain do? Fly her through a star?' _

_"Colonel, what do you think?" _

"What do I think? I think it's a miracle that she's still in one piece… mostly. But I have to wonder what Cain got up to after Gamoray. I mean, even the death of those two Basestars couldn't have done all this, right?"

_"I don't know… she was right between them when they blew. At nearly point blank range. I couldn't see her for all the smoke and debris…" _

"And if she lost power and was as charred then as she is now, no wonder." Achilles nodded, before engaging his sensors to run a deep scan of the ship. He nodded as the results began to come back.

"Hmm, her energisers appear to be damaged. Number one's only running at sixty-percent power, while two is less than twenty. I read nearly all her weapons are down, but actually…" An eyebrow rose as he re-read the next segment of text. "…it looks like most of the harm is cosmetic."

_"COSMETIC? What the frak do you mean? There's a huge hole in her __Beta_ _Bay__ big enough to fly a shuttle through!" _Starbuck yelled.

"What I mean is that her hull integrity is still quite high, all things considered. The outer armour is slag, but it looks like inside she's actually okay…" Achilles frowned as he looked closer at one bit of the data displayed. "This doesn't make sense…"

_"Colonel?" _

"If I'm reading this right Apollo, life support has been dead for some time… at least four sectares, likely more. Yet I'm getting faint life signs from within."

All the warriors chewed over that fact for several centons, trying to make sense of the data. Trying… and failing. At last Apollo made his call.

_"Well, we're not going to figure it out just sitting here. Colonel, why don't you and your squadron use your scanners to get as much detail as you can. I'll inform _Galactica._" _

"Oh boy, I can just see how this is going to go down…"

x x x x x x

Achilles had once again hit the nail on the head. The message from Apollo had sent a ripple of confusion, shock and bewilderment throughout the Battlestar.

"The _Pegasus?_" Adama had to repeat himself before it truly sunk in. How was it possible for Cain to have survived? And yet, his ship was scarred…

The fact that life support had failed vexed him, but the life sign's intrigued him. Could there still be people alive on board, trapped in the remaining pockets of fresh air?

One thing for sure, they would learn nothing just sitting here. They had to go aboard to find out what had happened to her crew.

Adama turned to Tigh. "Send for Major Croft."

"Aye sir."

A few centons later the redeemed colonial stepped onto the bridge. After his actions on the ice planet Arcta, Adama had partially reinstated him and given him the role of commanding the warriors that were not pilots but ground troops, including Colonial Security. While Council Security was at the beck and call of the council and seemed filled with bumbling fools, Colonial Security was a part of the military and was a highly skilled team.

The craggy faced major stepped up to the same level as Adama. "You called sir?" He asked, a lot of his old fire gone since his wife died on Arcta. Still, he was an excellent warrior.

"Croft, I need you to take a team on board the ship we detected earlier." Adama began.

"Hostile takeover?"

"No. Search and Rescue." Then Adama dropped his bombshell. "It's the _Pegasus _Major."

Croft rocked back on his heals at the news, his eyes widening a fraction. "So what's the problem?"

"Her hull appears to be fine, but life support is down across the ship. You'll need breathing gear. There are life signs deeper in the ship, but we have idea of their condition. You launch when ready."

"Give me one centar and we'll be away." Croft stated with absolute conviction before he hurried off, clearly eager to be doing something. Adama watched him go, until he saw Illa step onto the bridge, Athena by her side. Out of the corner of his eyes, he also saw Sheba step through the hatchway that Croft had left by. All three women had a puzzled look in their eyes.

"Father… what's going on?" Athena asked, worry in her voice.

Adama sighed before stepping down from the pedestal. He gestured for all three to come over to him.

" Sheba, you need to know before anything else happens. Apollo reported back. That ship… is the _Pegasus."_

Sheba's eyes suddenly widened, and Adama was sure that he sure a spark of joy dancing in them. She gaped like a fish for a centon, clearly struggling to comprehend what this could mean. But while she was clearly overjoyed at the thought of seeing her father again, Athena looked puzzled.

But then… why where you talking to Major Croft father?"

"Because of the situation she's in." Sheba was unable to prevent herself gasping in shock, fear flooding her eyes. "All we know is that while life support is down across the ship, there are faint life signs. I'm sending Croft and his people onboard for a search and rescue op. The ship herself is a mess." He turned to Sheba, who clearly had tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but you had to know, before you heard it from the rumour mill. There is still a chance that he's alive…"

Adama trailed off as Sheba turned and fled the bridge, one hand over her mouth. Illa stared after with pity in her eyes. For a long moment the family stood together, prayers to the Lords of Kobal winging their on high for Cain. But demands of the fleet had to step forwards once more.

"Athena… is it not time for your shift?" She straightened herself and schooled her face.

"Yes father." And with that Athena took her place at her console. Illa turned her gaze onto Adama.

"You know you could have done that better…"

Adama sighed heavily once more. "Maybe, but right now I can't see how. She deserves to know the truth, however painful."

"Your right, of course…" Illa rested her hand on his shoulder. "…It's just… the look on her face…"

"It tears me apart too my dear." Adama caressed a cheek softly before he was called away by Omega reporting some disturbance on one of the ships in the fleet.

As her husband stepped away to deal with it, Illa allowed her eyes to roam the chamber. _'So this is where he spends his time away… where the legend of Commander Adama is forged.' _She was surprised in that it did not feel oppressive at all, but quite open and expansive. The tiers of crewmen led up to the command pedestal, a fitting place for him, and one where he could oversee everything that happened on his bridge.

Despite her initial desire to see Adama at work, Illa's thoughts keep returning to the distress of the young woman that had just run on the verge of tears. _'So that was the elusive __Sheba__…' _Somehow Illa had pictured a hardened battleaxe of a woman, rough and very masculine. She had been pleasantly surprised to see the real thing. Yes, there was a layer of warship grade armour under that very feminine exterior, but Illa could also sense that there was a lot of woman there too, hidden under that warriors soul.

Her mind made up, Illa stepped towards Athena where she was hard at work at her console. Right now she needed some information…

"Athena, where is Sheba likely to go?" Her daughter looked up startled, before she began to think, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Well, she might try to sneak on to Croft's shuttle, it'd be her style. But after… that." Athena swallowed in discomfort. "I'm not so sure."

"Not the openly expressive type?" Illa guessed.

Athena shook her head. "No, not really. There's a couple of places she might go to be alone. Either into our captured Raider…" She trailed off.

"Or?" Illa prompted. She knew that Athena was holding back.

"There is one other place." Athena sighed. She had never been able to keep thing from her mother before. "There is still one celestial dome left on the ship. It's right above the engines. Hard to get to, and isolated from everything else. Its kind of Apollo's special place. When he shared it with her, I think it was a sign that he's really warming up to her."

Illa nodded her thanks, and patted her shoulder. "Thank you, now you'd best return to your duties."

"Mother, you're not thinking of going up there? Your leg…"

"I'm not a total cripple dear. Besides, the exercise is good for me."

x x x x x x

Starbuck sat in his cockpit, his eyes glued to the blackened hulk that had been the _Pegasus._ What could have happened to cause this? Cain must have been desperate.

The longer they stayed with the ship, it easier it became to see. The light from the star they were closing with slowly light up the ship, and now it was possible to make out the distinctive outline of the battlestar. But what worried him was the total lack of lights. Not one light shone from within, even the landing bays were dark.

As they waited for the shuttle to arrive from _Galactica_, he watched as Flare squadron carried out a detailed sweep of the 'ghost' as Starbuck was starting to think of her. Slowly more and more details began to emerge. A final count had been made on the life signs, after almost half a centar of resolving the data. What was surprising was that there were a little over eighty people onboard, more than the skeleton crew of seventy-four that there were supposed to be. _'So where have the extras come from?' _

And that was not all. Life support was down, but the engines were still going. With the energisers damaged they were not at full power, but she was still making good time. Fast enough that she would have caught up with the fleet eventually. But with her blackened hull and comm system dead, she could have sailed right by and they would never have noticed. Besides only a fool sets their ship on a course and then leaves no one to steer. It had been confirmed that all the life-signs were clustered in the centre of the ship, somewhere in or near the life centre. A fool… or someone with no choice.

"Yo Boomer?"

_"Yea what?" _

"What do you think happened here?"

Boomer was silent for a long moment while one of the Viper-B's gingerly edged its way in line with the landing bay, hanging just outside the cavernous entrance. _"Well, the exterior damage could be explained by the destruction of those Basestars. But that doesn't explain the interior. My guess would be would when they realised that life support was down, the crew decided to send the ship after us and hunkered down, hoping to reach us before they ran out of air." _

"That could have been a long wait…"

_"Feldercarb!" _Achilles curse roared across the comm channel, startling everyone.

_"Colonel?" _

_"There are a pair of ships sitting in the landing bay, and they're not Colonial! In fact I don't recognise them at all! Apollo, I'm shooting the data to you and the others. Maybe you guys know them." _

Starbuck looked down at his screen to see the incoming data stream. Quickly the schematics of a ship began to be formed. One he knew alright.

"Frack! That's an Eastern Alliance destroyer!"

_"I take it that's not a good thing…" _

_"The __Eastern Alliance__ were one side of a warring planet we came across. Not as advanced as us, but they had started colonising the local moons. The __Alliance__ bombed the colonies of their opponents from orbit, using viral or neutron weapons. Technology wise they may not be as advanced as us, but it is quite different in most respects. They're human, despite having grown up in a thinner atmosphere than our own, and are about as tolerant and arrogant as the Cylons." _Apollo answered the colonel's implied question.

_"Charming. I take it you didn't part on the best of terms?" _

_"We ended up taking the one destroyer and her crew captive since they attacked some friends we'd met just before, from the other side of the war. They later escaped with the help of Baltar and some Nomen. We didn't have contact with them after that, but we did stop them destroying their world, and winning the war." _

_"Yes, I can see why that would tick them off a bit. Okay, we're got four destroyers in her, two in each bay. Not getting any life signs though." _Achilles fell silent.

"So… what now?" Starbuck had to ask. "What do we do?"

_"Not much we can do except wait for the shuttle. But I think I know what might have happened. I'll get back to you." _

x x x x x x

Sheba sat there, her arms round her knees and tears running down her cheeks. When Adama had told her that they had found the _Pegasus, _her father's ship, her heart had started to rejoice. But when he had continued and told her the ships condition… she had to leave, quickly, before she broke down before the entire bridge crew… and more importantly Adama. He would never give her command of a squadron if she acted like that!

Knowing that a break down was imminent, she had fled to the one place where she could be alone and safe from interruptions until she could pull herself back together… the celestial dome that Apollo had shown her. Here, far from everyone else, she at least felt that she could drop the warrior act and let her feelings run loose.

And it thus that Illa found her when she finally made it to the dome. While she had brushed off her daughters concerns, she hadn't counted on just how long a walk it was going to be. Nor the ladder that was needed to reach the dome itself. By the time she had climbed into the dome, her leg was shooting with pain.

Removing the protective ear guards, she looked around the chamber. There was not much to see, as the panels on the outside of the dome were still in place. The central pedestal with the high backed chair and its array of consoles before it were dark. A splash of colour just around the other side drew her attention, and she turned to see a dark warriors boot sticking out.

Sheba had heard the hatch being lifted, releasing the roar of the _Galactica's _engines, but it barely registered in her mind. She hoped that whoever had opened the hatch had just looked at the chair, seen she wasn't in it and had left her in peace.

" Sheba?" The voice sounded a bit like Athena's, prompting her to glance towards it. But instead of the young brunette there was an older woman whose hair had turned silvery. But the resemblance between her and Athena was striking. And then she remembered seeing this woman on the bridge with Athena, just before…

As more tears began to run, Illa crouched down and gathered the dark-blond haired woman into her arms. Sheba was past caring just who this was, and she allowed herself to be pulled into the embrace, her head coming to rest on the older woman's shoulder as once more the tears ran wild.

Illa gently stroked Sheba's head as she cried, glad that she had managed to get her leg into a comfortable position just in time, but also sorrowful for this strong woman who now sobbed her heart out. As she did so, she noted the silky smooth hair under her hand, the strong frame under her arms. Despite the very female lines, this was a strong woman. No wonder Apollo felt attracted to her… he'd be a fool not too!

At last the flood of tears began to slow, and Sheba found her voice. "Th-thank you…"

"Hush…" Illa whispered. "You don't have to talk right now."

"I'm sorry… it's just… I don't know you… and for me to just…"

"It's okay. You're in pain and you need to let it out."

Sheba found her words soothing, and she began to relax a bit. Illa continued to hold her, recognising a lot of both herself and her own daughter in Sheba. Fierce pride for one thing.

For a few centons they remained like that, While Sheba struggled to bring herself back under control. At last she pulled away slightly, at least enough to wipe her eyes.

"Feeling any better?" Illa asked.

"A little…" Sheba smiled a bit. "It's just… the thought of…"

"Your father?"

Sheba nodded. "I… did anyone tell you about… the Count?" Sheba refused to say his name, terrified that if she even whispered it he would hear her, and return to claim her once more.

Illa nodded. "Athena told me the basics."

"Well, I've always assumed that when he told me that I'll see my father again, he'd be alive… but when Adama told me… about the… his ship…" She had to pause for a micron. "I feared that… he would be…"

"Easy…" Illa drew her back into her arms, seeing how deeply the fears ran into the young woman before her. "You don't know at the moment. No-one will until the shuttle team reaches them. Until then we have to keep our sprits up. I should know…"

"I realise that. It's just… hard."

"I understand, better than you might think. Now…" She gently sat Sheba upright once more so she could look into her eyes. "…I'd like to know just what you and my son talked about in that Raider…"

x x x x x x

_"Rescue Shuttle to Blue Leader. We're coming in now." _

"Roger that Rescue shuttle. Colonel Achilles, do we have any more information?"

_"Some Apollo. Atmosphere barriers are still active, so there is air in there. But I wouldn't try breathing it. Gravity seems normal from what I can see. What power there is appears to be almost completely diverted to the engines and that one chamber. We'll need portable lights and breathing gear." _

_"Understood, we're heading into Alpha bay now." _

_"Confirmed. Watch yourselves, there's a pair of __Eastern Alliance__ destroyers in there already, so it might be a tight squeeze." _

_"Thanks for the warning. Engaging flood lights." _As the shuttle crossed the threshold Apollo saw the front of the shuttle light up as both powerful floodlights engaged, filling the bay with light.

After what seemed like centares but was really only a couple of centons the comm crackled again. _"Sirs, we have secured the bay. Air is definitely not breathable. No resistance, but there was once. We've found signs of a fire fight, along with a half-dozen bodies. Eastern uniforms." _

Apollo frowned. This was most disturbing. "Sit tight, I'm coming in." Wheeling round to line up for the bay, he saw another three vipers peel away from the group and follow him. Sighing, he engaged the comm again. "Jolly, you're in charge for now."

_"Understood skipper." _

Settling down in the dim bay, Apollo looked about as he fished out the breathing gear. The two destroyers filled the bay, forming dark silhouettes in the gloom. He could see Major Croft's men moving about, checking the bodies and watching the doors. Once the canopy was clear, he jumped down and strode over to where he could see Croft standing by the hatch into one of the destroyers. Starbuck, Boomer and Achilles joined him.

"So, what happened here?" Starbuck asked, his voice partly muffled by the mask.

"Looks like the Eastern Alliance decided to try and take the ship." Croft nudged one of the two desiccated bodies lying there with a boot. "The remaining crew tried to hold them back, but were forced back deeper into the ship."

Looking around, Apollo could see the pattern of laser burns around the hatch on the destroyer. The other four Alliance troopers appeared to have been taken out trying to rush the main hatch way out of the bay. There was a lot of weapon damage around the hatch, a mixture of crude energy weapons and projectiles.

"Sirs!" A Colonial warrior emerged from within the destroyer. "It looks like there were a couple of prisoners on board at one time, but they were released at some point."

"So, we have a hostile boarding attempt that did not succeed, but was not a total failure." Achilles muttered. He looked up at Apollo and Croft. "We need to find out what happened here. I'll head to command and try to get the computers going. My command codes should work."

Apollo nodded. "I agree. Boomer, go with him, see what you can do." The dark skinned warrior nodded silently as Apollo turned to Croft. "Major, why don't you take some men to the engineering sections and see what's wrong with life support, while myself and Starbuck head for the life station."

"Sound plan. Hold a micron." With a sharp whistle he gathered his men and quickly sorted them out into three groups. The four engineers went with him, while Cassie and the other med-techs followed Apollo.

Starbuck found it eerie wandering through the dark ship. With no lighting at all, they were dependent on their hand lights to see. And with all the travel cars and elevators down, it was slow progress. Apollo began to worry that they might not have enough air to perform a full sweep. He prayed that life support was merely off-line. It was echoingly quiet, despite the faint rumble of the ships engines. Corridors stood silent and hatches closed. The very air itself was still, and every now and again there was a deep moaning as the ships structural members flexed.

Along the way they found signs of a running battle. Laser burns and blast marks, even the charring from low-grade explosives. Clearly the Eastern Alliance had been determined to take the ship, no matter the cost. Nothing showed this more than the bodies of dead Alliance soldiers they passed. They had to cross crude barricades that had been breached, and go around sections that were sealed off. Clearly the crew had tried every trick in the book, and few outside the book, to hold back the attack.

Apollo wondered just what had happened. Even with a skeleton crew, the _Pegasus's _people were evenly matched to the attackers. Each destroyer could only hold eighteen men, maybe two dozen if they really packed them in, not enough to storm a ship of this size effectively, not with just four ships. The fire fight in the landing bay showed that they did not achieve total surprise, but he had to wonder how the destroyers got close enough to land without being blown away by the _Pegasus's _turbolasers, even if several were down.

Further forward, Achilles and Boomer eased towards the bridge, wary of anything. They passed several bodies, all Alliance, before they reached the scarred and ruined main hatchway to the bridge. Inside, they found another crude barricade just after the door, and another Alliance body. But this one was a little different…

"Well I'll be…" Boomer whispered as he looked at the corpse.

"What is it Boomer?"

"I recognise this one." He told the colonel, still staring at the decayed face, mouth locked open. "He was the commander of the destroyer Apollo and Starbuck captured. I never caught his name, but he certainly was not likeable."

"Well, it seems he's got a fitting end." Achilles stood up before stepping up to the command station. Looking around, he could see that all the consoles were dead, powerless. Stray shots had damaged some stations, and the inside of the blast shield covering the bridge view port had a dozen charred blast marks on it. He was about to turn away when he saw the blinking yellow light. Reaching out, he pushed the switch that was below it.

For several microns nothing happened, but then the console slowly awoke from its slumber. A screen lit up, and the message it displayed made Achilles eyebrows rise.

"Whoever was in charge locked down the main computer."

"Why would they do that?"

Achilles turned to face Boomer and cocked his head to one side, looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh. In case of hostile takeover…"

"Right. Clearly they didn't want anyone coming on board and just having full run of the systems. Hopefully…" He punched in a series of numbers. "…my command codes should…" The console gave a positive note, before the background hum began to build up, and other consoles lit up. "…be accepted." He finished.

Apollo was motioning Starbuck down the corridor when the ships internal communication system crackled. _"Apollo? Major Croft?" _

After stilling his racing heart, Apollo stepped over to the wall mounted comm and engaged it. "Achilles, please don't do that again!"

_"Sorry." _He could almost hear the smirk on the colonel's face. _"We've got the main computer back on line up here. It was all locked down, I suspect after the takeover attempt. They tried to take the bridge by force, but it does look like they succeeded. Oh, Boomer tells me that one of your old __Alliance__ friends is here." _

Apollo and Starbuck looked blankly at each other for a second, before the answer came to him. "Understood. Any luck with the environmental controls, or the log?"

_"No, nothing yet. We've got power for the consoles, but power for the systems they control has been cut from engineering. Give us a couple of centons and I think we can get emergency lighting on." _

"That would be a start. Okay, we'll push on to the Life Station." Apollo turned to his team. "Let's go."

At last they reached the level on which the life station was situated. As they prepared to move, Achilles came over the speakers again. _"Guys, prepare for some light. It's not much I'm afraid; there's just not enough power I can divert here. The main regulation controls have a command override, and its one unique to the ship. Only the Commander would know it. Same with the helm." _

That small fact trickled into Apollo's mind, and ignited a small spark of hope. If, as they assumed, everything was shut down _after _the takeover attempt, then Cain had to have been alive to be able to input the code.

Slowly the strip-like emergency lights came on dimly, casting a red glow over everything. It was about as strong as two full moons worth, but after the pitch black of before, it was very welcome.

"Well, at least now we can see where we're stepping." Starbuck joked, just before the comm system crackled again.

_"Sirs, we've finished checking the engineering control levels." _Major Croft informed them. _"Looks like the __Alliance__ tried to take engineering pretty hard. We passed over two dozen bodies here." _

_"We got about the same on our way to the bridge." _Achilles commented. _"Those two areas are the main targets for any takeover strike." _

"What about life support?" Apollo asked. "Can you get it going?"

_"Sorry captain, but those __Alliance__ thugs used some pretty heavy weapons down here." _Croft told him sadly. _"Main life support is totalled. Looks like a direct hit from a rocket or something like that. Secondary took some hits from pulse fire. The techs tell me that they can fix it, just not with any parts on hand." _

Apollo cursed silently. They had barely a half centar left before they had to return to the shuttle for fresh air packs.

_"Major, what about parts already on board? Surely there should be replacement parts down there…" _

_"Sorry Colonel, but we've already checked. It looks like the crew tried to repair the damage, but they don't have the required parts. We need to return to the _Galactica _for some." _

While they had been talking Starbuck had moved on ahead, taking with him half the warriors and all the med-techs. Before anyone could discus the situation further he stuck his head out of the life station. "APOLLO!"

"Hold on, we've found something." He told the others before rushing over to join Starbuck. The lieutenant led him through the life station before they reached the main recovery ward. "Take a look." He said grimly.

Apollo glanced at Starbuck before stepping through. What was inside caused his jaw to drop.

The ward was filled with grey metal tubes, packed in tightly. Each one was a crogen tube. And closest to him, nearest the door, was the one containing the living legend himself, Commander Cain.

* * *

**DR: **These mystries just keep coming... well I'm off now. job interview (fingers crossed). Next chapter goes up in about 48 hours time, so stay tuned!


	7. Back to the Land of the Living

**DR: **Today, we she what happened to the _Pegasus_ after she took out those baseships... And Sheba's reunion with her father gets rather emotional...

* * *

Chapter 7: Back to the Land of the Living

"Are they… alive?" Apollo asked, staring down at the lined and smoke stained face of possibly the greatest commander in the Colonial Fleet. Cassie, despite the emotions running rampant through her, stepped forwards to run a scanner over the tubes.

"Yes, they're all alive." She answered him after several microns. "But some of them are seriously wounded… energy burns it looks like. I can't get anything more detailed until we get them out of these tubes."

"But, we can't do that until we fix the air." Starbuck moaned.

"Maybe not… Do we have a spare breath mask?"

"No sir, just a couple of emergency masks." One of the other med-techs said, lifting the small mask up. "Only good for a centar. The rest are still in the shuttle along with the other air packs."

"Okay, Cassie, wake Cain up." As she bent over the tube and started the revival process, Apollo turned to the gathered warriors. "I need a volunteer, make that two."

As one they all stepped forwards.

Apollo smiled at the show of solidarity. "Okay, one of you has to turn over your breath mask to the commander. You'll then take the emergency mask and return to the shuttle. The other volunteer will go with him and ensure he gets there safely."

The warriors glanced at each other, before two men stepped forward once more. "I'll do it sir." The shorter one said. "I've gotten good at holding my breath sir. Water-sports training, even if we don't have a pool."

"I'll make sure he gets to the shuttle." The second, a hulking bear of a man, growled. "Even if I have to carry him over my shoulder." The moment of humour touched everyone.

"All right, let's do this." With a nod, the warrior shut down the masks supply of air. He took several shallow breaths before sucking in the last of the air in the mask and pulling it off his face. Handing it to Apollo, he turned and caught the emergency mask tossed to him by the med-tech as he strode out. The other warrior followed him.

Apollo turned back to Cassie, who was ready to open the tube. Handing her the mask, he stepped back. Touching the last key, she began to reach in even as the cover slide back. The cold air within the tube began to seep out, chilling the gathered warriors. She noted that it didn't seem as cold inside the tube as she had thought, but then remembered that she had gotten used to the chill that pervaded the air on the _Pegasus._ With life support down and all other power diverted, there had been nothing to keep the heat in. And while it wasn't the cold of space, it was uncomfortably chilly.

Everyone there watched for Cain's revival with baited breath. At first nothing, then his eyes flicker, and he tried to take a breath…

x x x x x x

The last image Cain had held in his head as he felt the sleep of the cryogen tube taking him was the face of his beautiful daughter Sheba. As his sight faded, he had recounted in his head all the things he wished to say to, but had never got round to.

_'Oh baby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I tuned you out after your mother died… I'm sorry that I sent you out to fight so many times… I'm sorry for not coming back… Sorry for failing to keep my promise…' _

The next thing he knew, he could feel the cold retreating, and light began to filter into his eyes. The smiling image of Sheba was above him. Feeling joy, he opened his mouth to speak to her…

The next micron his eyes shot wide as the dead, stale air entered his mouth, his lungs reacting violently. He gasped for real air, for oxygen that wasn't there. He saw nothing about him, heard nothing but the pounding of his heart and the roaring of his blood.

Feeling confined, he began to thrash about, trying to escape his bonds, escape the stale air that was choking him. He felt hands trying to hold him, the hiss of something being forced near his mouth. Blindly he tried to fight them off, yahrens of military learning telling him to push the hiss of the gas, most likely poison, away.

But then a waft of the gas entered his nose, and instinct took firm control of his body. He stopped fighting the others and practically ripped the mask from its owner to press it against his face. As he gulped down the sweet, clean air, he could feel his heart slowing down from maniacal to just frantic. At last the oxygen reached his sleep befuddled brain and he began to try to use his eyes. And his mind returned from the darkness.

Cain. That was his name. Colonial Commander. The _Pegasus, _his ship… Adama, and the _Galactica. _Gamoray... Those two basestars… their explosions charring his ship… Sheba as he last saw her, hurt and unable to move, being carried away off his ship… The long time he had spent decided on his course… the final realisation that Adama had been right all along… Turning the crippled ship around… The ' Eastern Alliance' who demanded that he surrender his ship to them. Their boarding… the viscous fighting… his people driven back. The celebration when they won… the terrible discovery of the wreaking of the life support… the last desperate gamble with the cryogen tubes…

At last his eyes began to work once more, and he looked about. Emergency lighting on, but barely. Figures near the door, silhouettes cast by the lights they held. And next to him…

"Cassie?" He croaked, his throat feeling dryer than a Scorpia desert in summer. "Apollo?"

"We're here commander." Apollo answered, the breath mask he wore slightly muffling his answer. But his eye revealed his relief.

Cain slowly blinked the last of the sleep from his eyes, before he grinned broadly. The Legend of Commander Cain, who made his own miracles, was still solid. It had been a hundred to one shot, at the least, but his plan appeared to have worked!

Slowly he began to draw himself out of the cryogen tube, at least enough to sit up. He felt a little woozy as he did so, but then he was asleep for…

"Ho… How long was I under?"

"Almost four sectares Commander." Cassie told him quietly, having got the information from the tube itself.

Cain sat there for a moment, thinking. _'Well, not too bad…' _Slowly he looked up once more, the fire in his eyes returning. "So… the fleet is nearby?"

"That's why we needed to waken you sir. We need you to unlock the ships computers, so we can slow down and link up with the fleet."

"I see… not the correct course eh?"

Apollo grinned at the commanders pun. "Not quite sir. You would have passed us about five centares out had the _Illuminati_ not seen you."

"_Illuminati?_" Cain's brow furrowed. "I don't recall that being one of your ships Captain."

Apollo was now grinning widely. "No sir, she's not. A second fleet escaped the Colonies. Another thirty ships, half of them warships."

Cain's jaw fell as he stared at Apollo. His mind tried to absorb what the young man before him had just said. _'Another fifteen warships… Gods we could take on the Cylons now!' _But then he remembered what had nearly happened at Gamoray. No, despite his burning desire to go after the Cylons and hurt them as much as they had hurt the Colonies, he knew that his duty was to protect the people. After all, what was the point of fighting when there was nothing to fight for?

With a shrug, he stood up, using force of will to not waver. Grabbing his swagger stick from the cryogen tube, he faced the warriors before him. "Well then, let's get back to the Fleet men!"

As they made their way to the bridge, they made better time than before, the low lighting just enough to allow them to move quickly. As they moved up the corridor leading to the bridge, Cain once more saw the burn marks that scarred the corridor. Yes, they had fought hard, but his people had fought even harder. And he was proud of them. He also noted that someone had policed the bodies, not a pleasant task after this much time.

Stepping on to the bridge, he saw a pilot he vaguely remembered from the _Galatica _working one console, and another man on the command pedestal. Behind him he heard more feet moving, as the group which had been at engineering had moved forward to rejoin the group, after taking a detour to pick up more oxygen packs.

"Commander Cain, allow me to introduce Colonel Achilles, the one who rebuilt the fleet." Achilles turned to face him, and Cain swept his gaze over him. He was clearly a native of Scorpia, with his dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Average height, his face held a roguish charm. Even in the poor light, he saw that this Achilles wore the blue of a command officer, but also a warrior jacket. An interesting combination.

"Apollo, I only reinforced the fleet, not rebuilt it." Achilles smirked, and Cain took an instant liking to the man. He then held out his hand. "Commander Cain, it's an honour."

"No Colonel, the honour is mine." Cain grasped Achilles by the forearm in the ages old greeting. "Any man that can pull fifteen of our warships out of there has to be incredible."

"Personally I think any man which can get two hundred plus civilian ships clear without loosing one is better, but have it your way."

Laughing gently, Cain stepped to the main computer control board and unlocked the system. At once the controls lit up, and to everyone in there it felt as if some terrible beast had awoken from its dark and dreadful sleep.

x x x x x x

Adama was smiling broadly when Illa and Sheba returned to bridge. Blue squadron was coming in, escorting the _Pegasus._ Cain had been found alive and well, if a little dirty and chilled. He had been warned that the battlestar looked a wreck, but it was only skin deep for the most part. There was nothing that was fatally damaged, save the main life support system.

"Ah, Sheba good. I was just about to call for a search for you." He told her as the two women stepped onto the command pedestal.

"I'm sorry commander, I just… needed a moment." Sheba told him, her face flushed.

"I understand Sheba." He nodded wisely, deciding not to mention the red-rimmed eyes or the puffy cheeks. Looking at Illa, he saw that one shoulder looked damp. Meeting her eyes, he saw that his wife liked this woman. "And I have some good news for you."

Sheba lifted her head, hope shining forth.

"Our pilots are inbound, with the _Pegasus._ Turns out her damage is not as bad as it looks, despite the best efforts of both the Cylons and the Eastern Alliance." Both women frowned, Sheba since she wondered how the people of Terra were involved, and Illa since she had not yet heard about this faction.

"But the most important news is…" Adama began, but then Omega interrupted him.

"Commander, we have an incoming message on fleet line Alpha."

Shaking his head ruefully, Adama took a step towards the monitors. "Put it through here."

When the picture resolved, Adama was not surprised to see who it showed, not this time. _"Greetings Adama, you old war daggit." _Cain smiled as much as the breath mask he wore allowed.

"Cain, didn't we go through this once before?" He asked shaking his head. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sheba's face light up when she heard her father's voice.

_"Indeed we did Adama, but this time things will work out differently, I swear. Now, I don't suppose my…" _Cain was cut off however when Adama stepped back a pace, allowing Sheba to rush forwards.

"FATHER!" Her outcry of relief caused several crewmen to look up in surprise. They all quickly returned to their duties as Tigh glanced about. But she took no notice at all, as she was entirely focused on the small screen before her. While she didn't show it, a small part of her mind was in shock at seeing her father looking so… scruffy. Soot dusted his shoulders and smudged his face, while the emergency lights bathed him in red, making the breath mask he wore look like some permanent attachment to his face.

_"Oh baby… I missed you so much…" _He sighed. _"It's been so quiet here since you left… But I'm back now." _The cheer in his voice made up for the lack of expression, and it clearly hinted that from now on something's would be changed between them.

"I missed you too…"

_"I'll come aboard as soon as I can baby. I swear I won't do this again." _

"You'd better!"

Cain chuckled. _"That's my girl. Now put Adama back on would you? I need to arrange a parking space. I'll see you soon." _Sheba smiled sweetly before stepping back, allowing Adama to resume talking with his old friend.

"Cain, you have no idea how I feel to see you back."

_"Believe me Adama it was touch and go for a while back there, many a time." _Cain sighed deeply. _"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask that you move yourself. My ship is in a right mess."_ Adama was taken aback for a moment at Cain's admission.

"Of course. The repairs to the _Galactica _are almost done anyway. We'll soon be able to get you back into fighting form."

_"I can see that. And you know what? Next time those gulmogging Cylons come for us, we'll really kick their teeth in!" _Cain grinned broadly, almost enough to slip the mask off.

Adama shook his head at Cain's indomitable sprit. "Let's hope that they won't Cain. I will be quite happy to live the rest of my life without seeing a Cylon again."

_"Ah, but if wishes were cubits… Still, miracles do happen. You just have to make them."_

x x x x x x

The news of the return of the _Pegasus _spread like wildfire throughout the fleet, so much so that by the time Cain set foot on _Galactica_ there was a vast crowd gathered to greet him. But it was to Adama that he first spoke to.

"The Lords of Kobal must truly have blessed you Cain."

"Well, I guess a little help from on high never hurts." Cain smirked, before he turned towards the figure that stood besides Apollo, almost unable to stay still. " Sheba…" he said, opening his arms.

The next micron he had to stagger back to remain standing as Sheba had rushed over to embrace him. While the gathered warriors cheered his return, the two of them were locked in their own little world, reforming their bond together.

To one side the warriors who had been stationed on the _Pegasus _before Gamoray cheered louder than most as they witnessed the women they considered the 'child of the _Pegasus' _be reunited with her father. She had spent a lot of time on the ship even while very little. She had practically grown up within its armoured shell, and in a way they all felt that it made her special to all of them.

Unheard by all both Cain and Sheba spoke quietly together. "Oh my baby… I'm sorry…"

"Father its okay… your back now, that's what matters."

"No, it's not. I'm sorry about everything Sheba. I pushed you away when you needed me, and then I threw you out again and again to fight. When you got hurt, I… it tore me up inside."

"Father… I always knew about the risks, and I accept them."

" Sheba… I went into that battle expecting to die. I… don't know just how I survived this time. Maybe the Lords that Adama is always speaking of truly are watching over us. Maybe they decided I deserved a chance to make amends for my mistakes. I don't know why, but I do know I'm going to take this chance with both hands, and not let go."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I've seen how wrong I've been over these last few yahrens. And now, I'm going to put things right." With that he pulled away slightly and turned towards Adama once more.

"Adama, will you accept this crazy old war daggit back?" Adama smiled warmly, before clapping him on both shoulders.

"Dear friend, you are most welcome."

"Well, I'm sure I'll wear it out soon enough." Cain grinned "I won't say I haven't given up on ripping the Cylons a new one, but I have seen the light, so to speak. From now on, we'll play it your way, Fleet Commander." A hush fell over the bay as he said the last much louder, to ensure that everyone knew that Adama was The Fleet Commander, and even the irrepressible Commander Cain would toe the line.

Adama realised what Cain meant, and was momentarily stunned by it. Cain had practically sworn on his honour that he would follow Adama's lead. It was quite humbling.

x x x x x x

"So tell us, how did you get away at Gamoray?"

It was now evening, and Adama had insisted on dinner with his close circle of friends and colleagues. In addition to his family, Starbuck, Boomer, Cain, Sheba, Cassiopeia and Achilles were gathered together. The Ambrosa was flowing, and everyone had been catching up. Cain had been as surprised as anyone to met Illa once more. They had met at brief points yahrens ago, mainly before he and Adama were promoted and dispatched to different ships. In many ways Adama, Tigh and Cain had been the Apollo, Boomer and Starbuck of their day.

Throughout dinner, Athena had been watching Achilles when he wasn't looking. She couldn't help but mull over her mother's words. She had to admit, he had a similar roguish appearance to Starbuck, but while Starbuck was flighty, Achilles was a much more down to earth man. She recalled those days when he served on _Galactica_. Although at the time she had had a big crush on Starbuck, Achilles had almost drawn her away from him. He didn't do it on purpose, but something about his slightly hidden past, the air of mystery that hung about him, it all was very tempting.

So intent on Achilles was she, Athena didn't even glare when Starbuck and Cassie shared an intimate moment. Cain had looked a little peeved, but he accepted it with good grace. If he had stayed, then she might have chosen him, but then again they might all have been dead. No, he didn't blame her for her choice.

Course, that didn't mean he had to like it.

Someone else who had been casting long glances was Apollo. But while his sister's looks at Achilles had been speculative, his ones towards Sheba had been pensive. He still had not truly decided on which way he felt about her. He tried to hide those thoughts whenever she looked his way though.

Sheba too was making longing looks, right back at him. She wasn't sure what it was that was holding him back, but she had seen the look in his eyes. He tried to hide his inner turmoil when she was looking at him, but he could never shield his eyes. It deeply troubled her.

Illa had noted all the glances that were being cast across the table, and secretly she smiled. Outwardly she showed no reaction what so ever to what was happening, but inwardly she sighed in frustration. Both young men were being offered a beautiful thing, and neither was acknowledging it! Apollo was too unsure, and Achilles must have been blind! And she had thought Scorpio's were supposed to be intuitive!

However she had missed one set of looks, those that Achilles had been sending towards Athena. Being a Scorpio not only made one intuitive, it also made one very good at putting up a smokescreen. And Achilles was very good at hiding his emotions. He kept stealing glances at Athena out of the corner of his eyes, when he lifted his glass, even when he was looking over the food he allowed his eyes to rest on her a half-second longer than anyone else. He could tell she was interested in him, and it fired him. He hadn't been joking with Apollo earlier that day.

Now, after the main meal, Adama had dared to ask the question that was on everyone's mind. Cain rested his arms on the table, cradling his glass. His humour drained away.

"Honestly Adama, pure luck. When those two ships blew, I thought for a micron that I had finally bitten off more than I could chew. I remember the blast waves washing over us, the crashing of debris into our hull. The shock knocked both energisers offline. We drifted, knocked off our old course.

"Things got tense. We couldn't see what was happening nor could we actually do anything. Took us nearly two centares before we got energiser one going again. I have to tell you, if it hadn't started we wouldn't be here." He looked over Adama's shoulder out the view-port, to where he could just see the blackened _Pegasus _wrapped in the embrace of the _Matriarch's _web. The off white arms of the slipway made a stark contrast to the charred hull beneath. With a shudder he pressed on.

"When we looked around, we were alone, having drifted almost right out of Gamoray. While my crew tried to repair what we could, I retreated to my quarters to think." Cain leaned back in his chair.

"I thought about everything you said Adama, both you and Apollo. And I realised something. I had been the 'Living Legend' for so long, I was starting to believe it myself. I began to believe that I could get out of any situation. Moalcay was my first wake up call, but I missed it.

"You were right Apollo, when you asked if I was thinking of my people, or my reputation. The legacy I would leave behind. When you came back with Sheba hurt, that woke me up to the fact that _nobody _is perfect. I was no longer thinking of my warriors as people, but tools, weapons. Things to be used when needed, discarded when they failed." Everyone around the table looked shocked, but sympathetic.

"It is a trap we must always guard against, the feeling of superiority." Adama gently stated. "Our many successes make us believe that we are untouchable, that we can never be stopped. And yet it takes just one moment of bad luck, and that dream, that illusion is shattered."

Cain nodded humbly. "You're right Adama. I'm just ashamed that it required my own daughter getting hurt for me to see that." Sheba laid her hand over his in support. Cain smiled at her before continuing the tale.

"Once we managed to get going again, I decided to follow you myself. I figured that at some point the Cylons would try to catch you again. And I had a plan, to be there to hit them from behind, and squeeze them between us. Then we could have finally gotten that snake Baltar. But it seems that you lost them when Baltar left their ship.

"After that, it was more a case of me acting as a rearguard. I figured if they did start following us again, I could draw them off."

"That explains that then…" Everyone looked at Achilles. "The ion trails we followed after Gamoray had one very strong trace. We figured that one of your ships had a leaky engine or something."

"Sounds like we made quite a convoy across the stars." Cain quipped, and smiles flowed all round the table. "We decided to bypass Terra by slipping past one of the outer planets." Cain's smile slipped. "That's when things went downhill."

"The Alliance?" Adama asked gently.

Cain nodded. "It appears that the seventh moon of that world was a major off-world base of theirs. But we didn't realise this until after we past it by. Almost a dozen small ships pursued us, and demanded that we surrender, as prisoners of war for aiding their enemy's."

"Sounds like not all the Alliance people accepted the decision to sue for peace after our little stunt." Starbuck commented.

"It appears so. We managed to get most of them, but those four slipped through. After that it was time to repel boarders." Cain sighed. "We had to kill them all. Not one surrendered. When we checked their craft we found five men and two women from what they called the Western Nationalists. They were scientists, kidnapped from their homes to discover the secrets of the _Pegasus. _They knew that they were never going home, since the Easterners had already declared them dead, and held their 'funerals'. So they asked for, and I agree, asylum.

"But I have to admit, when I learned that both life support systems were down and couldn't be fixed, I almost gave up. The Destroyers could not support us; they had exhausted their fuel to catch us. It had been a 'victory or death' mission. But when my last remaining doctor told me that he was going to put the wounded into cryogenic suspension, I came up with my last idea."

"A sleeper ship." Achilles muttered.

Cain grinned. "Correct. I knew in principle it worked, so all I had to do was get my ship on course with yours and then wait. When you had detected the _Pegasus, _I knew you would get us out." He shrugged. "Though it looks like I was just out with my calculations of where you would be now."

"Well, we have made better time since we had to ditch the _Scyer._" Adama chuckled. He then rose his glass. "Friends and family… to hope."

"To hope." Everyone echoed. As they drank, Athena's eyes met Achilles's, and Illa saw this. She realised that he _hadn't _been ignoring her daughter after all!

* * *

**DR: **Well I hope that answers any questions about how the _Pegasus_ got away. And I hopw I've given a reasonable explaination if Cain is acting a little OOC.

**Shadow: **So, what now?

**DR: **Oh a few things... a romantic moment, setting up the future setting, tidying things up. Plus a little foreshadowing. Nothing that really would interest you Shadow.

**Shadow: **Figures. (curls up once more) Wake me when a good scrap starts.

**DR: **might be a while... anyway, we're almost done here. Just one more chapter to post. Stay tuned! Oh, and reveiw, please!


	8. To the Future

**DR: **Well, here we are, the end on the road. This story was always intended to set up these characters for their entrance into another story arc of mine. I hope you've all enjoyed the progress our Colonials have made...

* * *

Chapter 8: To the Future 

For the next secton, Adama, Achilles and Cain spent hours together behind closed doors, thrashing out the new layout of the Colonial military. Their discussions wandered across every branch of the forces under their command. Adama was determined that there would not be any potential break between them, so he shared his plans with both men, as well as Tigh and Illa when he could. Slowly from the ruins let by the Cylons treacherous attack a new force was emerging.

In sympathy with their work, the _Pegasus _was also under going a transformation. As Achilles had discovered, most the armour was in fact still useable, and quickly the charred layer was scraped off. With parts onboard the _Matriarch _both energisers and the life support systems were restored to full working order, and her missing weapons replaced. The only thing that was causing trouble was the gaping hole in Beta Bay. That needed some serious parts that took time to fabricate.

The four Eastern Alliance destroyers were removed to the _Matriarchs _hold, were Dr Wilker worked with the scientist from Terra to understand the technology, with the hope of upgrading them to Colonial level. The five men and two women still needed a thinner atmosphere than Colonial standard, but each cycle the pressure was increased a fraction. It was hoped that given time they would be able to move about the fleet freely.

The _Matriarch _became the centre of all the fleet's spares. The _Celestra _and the foundry ships were tasked with working with the massive ship, and soon the work started by the poorly trained but well motivated people on the smaller vessels was supported by the technical skills and expertise of the former shipyard builders.

All the while the fleet continued it's gentle pace across space, slowed by the work that needed to be done on _Pegasus,_ but not stopping. Everyone knew the Cylons would never stop hunting them, so until they reached Earth or an Earth colony they would keep moving. After the _Thunderchild_ had brought her fleet in and the miraculous return of Cain and the _Pegasus, _the people's morale soared, and they started to believe that yes, they could do it.

Illa's operation went well, and soon she was able to move about the ship without any pain. The crew began to get used to seeing her striding around, taking care of any number of small jobs for the Commander. While her left leg was never going to work right again, at a gentle pace the limp was barely noticeable. Only after heavy use would the old wound throb once more. In fact Illa was over the moons of Caprica right now. She was able to see her husband and her children every day now, and once more she had an active role to play, since she was the official Fleet Commanders Advisor.

The only fly in the picture was Apollo, and his seeming unwillingness to take a chance on love once more. Illa could understand his worries, since she knew that had Adama died she would have struggled just the same as Apollo was struggling now. But damn it she was not going to let her remaining son ruin his life with his fears! And so, with the help of Achilles, Cassie and Starbuck, she began to plan how to trap the two of them…

x x x x x x

Athena strode down the corridor towards the vast central hall on _Galatica._ Adama had ordered that as many warriors as possible attend an address on the future of the fleet. Skeleton crews were left on each ship to allow the maximum number to attend. Representatives of each ship in the fleet would also be there, along with the Council of Twelve and Inter-Fleet Broadcasting.

But even as she walked, her mind kept turning towards the Colonel, Achilles. Despite her fears and his apparent ignorance of her, her attraction to him had not faded but rather increased. She had wondered if her feelings for him stemmed from a case of hero-worship, which she suspected was what had caused her crush with Starbuck. He had after all brought another thirty ships with him, including other warships which opened up the chance for a promotion, perhaps her own command. Not to mention bringing the best gift ever, her mother back from the dead.

Now though, she realised that her feelings for him were deeper than that. She felt drawn to him, and every time he had been around for a meeting with her father, every time he called the _Galactica's _bridge and every time he was round for dinner sent a tingle up her spine.

But she was not going to wait for ever, not this time! Achilles had to be blind to not see how she felt about him. She certainly thought that she had dropped enough clues.

"Lieutenant, may I have a word?" His voice set a storm of butterflies in her stomach as he stepped out of a cross corridor ahead. She noted that he had gone for the full dress uniform, though sticking to that half fleet-officer, half fighter-pilot style of his.

"Sure, but it'll have to be quick. Father's address will be starting soon." She answered him as she stopped next to him.

"Oh, I think we can spend a bit of time. He won't start without me." Achilles smirked smugly.

"Really? And what makes you say that?"

"Ah ah, I'm not giving anything away. Except this…"

Athena crossed her arms, waiting.

"Athena…" He began. "…do you remember how we met, the first time I came to _Galactica?_"

Did she ever! He had given a short address on the role and capacities of his experimental fighters. Afterwards she, Apollo and Starbuck had headed down to the landing bays to have a closer look at the new fighters. Part way through he had turned up and spoken with them directly.

"Well, I have to say that day is branded on my mind forever. For that day I thought I had met a goddess." Athena blushed at his words. "At first it might have been just simple flyboy lust. But over time I saw you more and more in a different light. I cared for you, just as much as Apollo cares for Sheba now."

"So what stopped you from…"

"Making a move?" He smiled wistfully. "Put simply, my honour. You were all but attached to Starbuck back then, and there was no way in Hades I was going to put a move on a practically sealed woman. No matter how much I wanted to. When I saw you and him start to break apart, I began to think I had a chance.

"But then my transfer orders came through, and I had to leave. I cherished what we had together. I put in for transfers back, even out of my unit, but I was turned down each time." Athena's mouth was now hanging open… she never knew.

"And now?" she dared ask.

"Now? Now I think it's time we explored that path, if you're willing…"

"If I'M…!" Athena shook slightly for a micron, infuriated at his words and the smug look on his face, before she practically leapt at him. Their arms went round each other as their heads came together. The kiss when it came sent waves crashing through her body, and she suddenly felt weak at the knees. But she refused to give in to it and clung to him, drawing strength from his powerful frame.

At last the need for air demanded that they part, and she drew back just enough to look into his eyes. Back in the early days, before the Holocaust, she had thought he was handsome, with those rugged features and deep blue eyes. Now, weathered by time and experience, he was even more so. And she could see in his eyes dancing motes of light that sparkled.

"Oh man… I've been longing to do that since I arrived…" His eyes closed in bliss. "That was everything I imagined…"

"You… you mean ever since…?" Athena mock glared at him; she couldn't summon a real glare thanks to the euphoria that raced through her. "So what in Sagans sake were you doing this past secton!"

"I was making sure that you felt about me the same way I do about you. Had you lost interest, I would have known it was never meant to be."

"That's a dangerous game to play Achilles."

He grinned smugly. "I tend to like it on the edge. Besides, there is another reason…"

"Oh?"

"I had to make sure your parents approved."

"You asked them… if you could…" Athena stammered.

"Kiss you? Not really, but then that's not important. But I _did _askthem if I could court you."

Athena was truly stunned. The code of honour that ran through anyone from Scorpia was almost legendary. It waxed and waned between people, but it was always there. Courting was a custom that was rarely followed even during the last few yahrens of the Colonies. It tended to be confined to the social elite, governors and statesmen. But on Scorpia it had remained strong and used by nearly all people. If either parents said 'no' to the request, then the man in question was bound by his honour to abide by their word. By asking her parents if he could court her, Achilles had laid his love and his honour on the line.

"Wh… what did they say?" She whispered.

Another sly smile. "What do you think?"

Laughing happily, she kissed him again. Once more currents sparked between them both, and she felt a great surge of passion run through her. She tried to prolong the kiss, but Achilles eventually broke it.

"Come on, we'd best not keep Adama waiting."

Smiling broadly, they walked the rest of the way to the chamber arm in arm.

x x x x x x

Adama sat near the rear of the stage, watching the crowd. Warriors filled the bulk of the mass of people, but there were a large number of civilians too. And he could tell they were starting to get antsy.

He could understand why. Glancing to his left, he saw that Achilles still had not arrived. He sighed. _'Where had that man gotten to? The least he could do was be on time.' _

He felt a hand on his right shoulder. "He'll be here Adama, don't worry."

He turned to face his wife. "Do you know where he is then?"

Illa smiled sweetly. "I'm sure he's just breaking the news to Athena…"

Adama couldn't help but smile at the memory of that morning. The two of them had been almost ready to head down to the chamber when the door buzzed. At his invitation, Achilles had entered in full dress uniform. When he had asked why he was there, Achilles had told him it was an urgent matter, one that required both their attentions.

Adama had been expecting many things, but Achilles request to court Athena had floored him. In fact he had ended up falling into his chair.

For almost a centon he had been trying to say something, _anything,_ while Illa had looked at Achilles sharply. Achilles himself had kept a ramrod straight pose, hands at his side, chin up and eyes forward. When she had asked him if he loved her, he had told them both that he had from the moment he had a chance to talk to her.

Illa had nodded at that, and then her face had split into a wide grin. After she gave her approval, Adama at last managed to get his voice back.

"Are you sure Achilles? This is my daughter you're talking about."

"Yes sir Commander, I am aware of that fact, and yes, I am."

He had been unable to maintain the presence any longer. Rounding the desk, he had clapped the younger man on the shoulders, and granted his approval.

The look in Achilles eyes was worth it all.

And now he hoped to put another shine into his daughter's eyes, if she and Achilles would turn up!

As if summoned by his thoughts, they entered the hall, arm in arm. All too soon they had to separate, but not before he had kissed the back of her hand, which had sent a blush racing over her face.

With everyone here at last, he could begin.

"People of the fleet. Over the past yahren, we have endured much, but we have all come together to survive. Over the last twelve cycles our numbers have grown, and we welcome back both old friends and new faces. And once more, we have a fleet of ships to defend our people.

"But this can not be an excuse for laxity. The Cylon menace is still out there, and we have no way of knowing what other dangers may lurk in the dark. Our people grow stronger, but until such a time as we find a new home for them, be it on Earth itself or within her empires boarders, we must remain vigilant.

"With the reformation of the fleet, it is long past time that we acknowledge the dedication, courage and bravery of our Warriors, as well as the hard work of those who may not fight, but ensure our warriors can.

"Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to announce the following. With Commander Cain's return to the fleet, I have placed in his care the task of devising the tactics to defend the fleet. He will be my second.

"There will come a time when we run out of space on our ships, if we have not found Earth by then. So we will need to procure new ships to house our people. Colonel Achilles will be in charge of this area, as well as developing new ships for the fleet. He will retain his command of the _Thunderchild,_ and is third in command of the fleet.

"All current commanders will retain their commands, but even so we have command slots that need to be filled, as well as a battlestar that requires a full crew and fighter complement.

"And so, after much discussion with Commander Cain and both Colonels Achilles and Tigh, it has been decided to transfer both Red and Bronze Spar Squadrons to the _Pegasus, _along with a full crew from the _Galactica_." There was a round of muttered from the pilots on _Galactica._ Everyone had expected that the _Pegasus's _original squadrons would have been returned.

"This move is to promote a feeling of unity between both ships, as well as within the fleet. In addition, both battlestars will host a third squadron, comprised of the Scorpion fighters that have been reassembled within the _Matriarch._ For now, these two squadrons will be our second line of defence, where our newest warriors will serve until they are ready for actual combat.

"And now, to fill the empty command slots. It is in the regulations that each squadron has an officer of at least captain in rank in command. After careful selection, it gives me great pleasure to announce the following promotions." He looked down at his podium for a micron.

"Lieutenant Bojay is advanced to the rank of Captain, and is assigned Bronze Spar Squadron." A great roar of cheering came from the pilots, while Bojay looked stunned.

"Lieutenant Boomer is also advanced to Captain, and will command Red Squadron." The cheers were a little muted this time, since the crew and pilots of _Galatica_ would miss the stoic and ever calm pilot. But they all knew that he deserved it.

Starbuck slapped the shocked Boomer on the arm. "Better you than me buddy."

Adama smiled as he had seen Starbuck actions. "I wouldn't be so sure, Lieutenant Starbuck. Or should I say Captain Starbuck of Blue Squadron?"

Starbucks jaw fell so fast and far his cigar fell from his lips, while around him pilots cheered and laughed at the look on his face.

"Nearly all the veteran's from Blue, Red, Silver Spar and Bronze Spar squadrons are also advanced one rank." Adama smiled. "As newly minted flight sergeants and lieutenants, you may apply for another squadron if you so wish."

Sheba's head sank. He hadn't picked her to command a squadron. Little did she know that Adama was saving the best, not to mention the ones most personal to him, for last.

"Lieutenant Sheba is also advanced to Captain, and will now take full command of Silver Spar squadron." A massive bout of cheering echoed throughout the hall as Sheba gaped like a fish out of water.

"Strike Captain Apollo, it is with great pleasure that I announce that you are to be advanced to Strike Major, in command of all fighter operations and procurement." Apollo blinked for a micron before he burst into a broad grin at his father. He may have lost direct command of Blue squadron, but he would still be in the loop.

"After the untimely death of Commander Kronus, our ships which ensure that the rest of the fleet remains in working order and provides us with new fighters no longer have a leader. Therefore I now attach the supply ship, the _Celestra_ under Lieutenant Aurora's command, and all our foundry and mineral ships to Major Pitt's of the _Matriarch _command." Aurora's jaw dropped in shock. After the debacle of the '_Celestra _incident', she had thought herself extremely lucky to escape without any serious punishment. But now Adama not only promoted her, but gave her the _Celestra!_

"And lastly one final item. Achilles has brought to my attention that one of our destroyers suffered a terrible misfortune recently." Everyone knew he was referring to the _Rosetta. _

"So far Junior Officer Hathoway has performed an excellent job, but her lack of experience means that I can not in full conscious give her command." Hathoway shrugged at this while others around her began to mutter once more. She had expected this.

"However, that does not mean that she is not worthy of recognition. Therefore she is to be advanced to the rank of Lieutenant, and to assume the role of the _Rosetta's _first officer." Hathoway looked up in amazement now, her breath gone.

"Choosing a new captain for the _Rosetta _was not easy. There were many people who could fulfil the role. Command of a Guardian has long been considered the first step towards reaching the lofty heights of Commander and the honour of commanding a battlestar. The Guardians have been our world's first line of defence for hundreds of Yahrens, and even though the Colonies are no more, those ships will maintain that role. It is a difficult task, living up to such high expectations. So after much consideration we have decided to advance Lieutenant Athena…" Athena's eyes, as did her mothers, widened in shock at the sound of her name. "…to the rank of Captain, and for her to take command of the _Rosetta." _

Once more the gathered warriors cheered without restraint, as many of them had seen how the attractive and mentally strong brunette had been almost marginalised and stuck with tasks that she was not suited for. But now at last she was given the chance to show her true mettle. Adama raised his hands to gesture for quiet.

"And now, let us celebrate, to the future!"

x x x x x x

Like he had been for most of his off-duty time since they had arrived in this new spiral arm, Apollo was in the celestial dome, charting the stars and waiting for another gamma transmission. While the _Galactica _was now able to pick them up with its own comm system, the receiver in the dome was still more sensitive.

However more that just the stars and the hiss of static were on his mind. Sheba constantly slid in, and he would find himself sitting there, sighted on a star, but not actually reading the displays. The image of her face when we heard that she was to be given command of Silver Spar squadron as a full captain back at the celebration the previous cycle was one that was especially hard to ignore.

Shaking his head, he turned to sight another star, only to find a Guardian blocking his line of sight. He smiled when he saw the name on her bow, _Rosetta._ Athena had been bubbling over with excitement at getting her first command. It almost outshined the stunning news that Achilles was courting her.

Apollo was still struggling to come to terms with that. He truly liked Achilles, but he had never seen anything passing between either of them. Then again he was having troubles of his own…

_'No, don't go there.' _He told himself. He bent back to his star-sighting, but the clunk of the hatch opening distracted him. Turning to see who it was, he was not surprised to see Starbuck climbing out.

"Ah, haven't we been in this situation before?" He joked after he had removed the ear guards.

"I suppose we have…" Apollo sighed. "So why are you up here this time?" He asked good-naturedly.

"Well, what with Boomer, Bojay and Athena leaving the ship for their own commands, everyone's gathered in the officers club for a farewell party." Starbuck grinned. "And you know what? You are duly summoned Major."

Apollo sighed again before shutting down the consoles. He expected that once more he would come face to face with Sheba, her eyes asking him 'that' question with every glance. But he was not ready to give her an answer. Not yet.

Slowly he followed Starbuck down the access ladder, sealing the dome away once more in silence. As he did so, he wondered if just like last time, a signal would be received while he was away…

Up in the dome, one monitor remained on; Apollo had forgotten to switch it off. The crackle of static was far too faint to disturb the quiet of the dome. But then something began to break through…

_"... hono... Thes...re the core qua...es of a true Zo...arrior. Over this last yea...e have seen...qualit...isplayed ...and over again. Ladies and __Gent...__en, it give...great pleas...to present th...nners of...Royal Cu...he Blit...eam!" _

On the small screen, past the static and snow, the image of an older, distinguished man sweeping his arm out to gesture towards something off camera could be made out. As the sound faded into the buzz of static, one last static laced image came through; four young people dressed in loose brightly coloured clothing stood together. And behind them was a giant metallic white on black cat, the head open in a roar of triumph, each gold tooth gleaming…

_**To be continued in 'Reuniting the Tribes'** _

* * *

**DR: **And there we are. I had intended to have Apollo and Sheba locked in that dome until they resolved their feelings, but I couldn't think of a way to do it properly. So I decided to fix them up in the next story.

**DR: **Just to answer an earlier question, I figured that Sheba was already in command of Silver Spar Squadron... _unoffically._ The actual captain died at Molacay, and as the most senior lieutenant, she took over. But it was not o_ffical. _Adama just made it offical.

**DR:** I hope people liked Adama's speach. Took a lot of work to get the start right.

**Bit: **Hey, that's me and the team at the end! And Liger!

**DR: **Hush you! They were supposed to figure that out themselves!

**Bit: **Oh.

**DR: **For a continuation of these characters, look out for 'Reuniting the Tribes', Either in the 'Zoids' or 'Crossovers' sections, once I decide which one to put it in. Course, If anyone want's to run with this in another direction, feel free. And don't forget to review! Ta ta for now!


	9. Epilogue: A Traitors End

**DR: **I just thought you all might like to know that the continuation of this story is now going up. 'Reuniting the Tribes', under the 'Zoids' section of this site. Though to understand the zoids part, you might like to read my other stories set there...

**Shadow: **Stop the shameless pimping DR!

**DR: **Okay okay... Anyway, here's a little epilogue, dealing with Baltar...

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Epilogue: A Traitors End

He sat there, in the heart of this new ship. It was so new that there were still Centurions doing final work within the massive hull. But the new ships weapons were all in place, as were her engines and other important systems.

As he waited, he pondered the mission he had been given. The Base Ship in this system had failed to report in on time, and once a destroyer had arrived the reason was clear. The Base Ship had been destroyed, the weapons signature on the wreckage clearly Colonial. And they had detected ion trails, leading out across the gulf between spiral arms.

The Cylon High Command had put together an armada to hunt down the Colonials. Their stubborn refusal to die had sparked rebellion in the other races the Cylons had subjugated. Now unrest was welling up within the Empire, and that could not be tolerated.

And so here he was, on the very rim of the Empire, tasked with hunting down and destroying the humans. And making a record of it all, to show the galaxy why resistance to the Cylon Empire was futile.

But first, there was one small item to deal with. Even now, one of the new gunships was bringing him in.

Behind him he heard one of the sets of clear doors in the chamber slide open, and faintly he heard the hum of Centurions.

"**By your command." **The ritual greeting of a subordinate to a leader echoed throughout the chamber. If he could have smiled he would have as he rotated the command chair to face the new arrivals.

The gold Centurion, the gunships commander, stood closest. It had been he who had greeted him. Behind him were four regular Centurions in a box formation, and between them…

Baltar gaped as he looked up. "Lucifer!"

"**Hello Baltar. It has been a while."**

Baltar sagged in relief. "Thank the Lords you found me! That blasted Adama marooned me on that rock! What is the status of the fleet?" He took a step forwards, but the Centurions pulled him back.

"**I think you should know Baltar. We have analysed the wreckage of the Base ship that was here. Included in that was an operational backup computer core." **Baltar's face paled suddenly.

"**From that core, we know what happened to our ship. We know that two humans got aboard and destroyed the main computer. This act allowed the _Galactica _to get close without detection." **Lucifer leaned forwards a bit.

"**Now, I have to wonder how the humans did this. I know they had a captured Raider, but how would they know the exact spot to place their charges to cripple the Base Ship, hmm?" **It was clear from Lucifer's tone that he already knew the role Baltar had played.

"I had no choice!" Baltar stammered. "Adama was going to kill me if I didn't tell him!"

"**Really? I find that unlikely since the Colonial's disbanded capital punishment several hundred yahrens ago.**

"**You know what I think? I think Adama offered you the choice to help them, in return for being marooned. And you accepted the offer."** The look of pure dread on Baltar's face was something Lucifer was going to cherish for a long time.

"But…but… you still need me! I can help you destroy the _Galactica_!"

"**No Baltar, you time is at an end. We do thank you for all your work though. Did you really think I was sent along with you as an advisor? The Imperious Leader wanted me to understand humans, so I could lead our forces against the Colonials. And now I do. So you see, you are no longer needed."**

Before he could react, the two Centurions besides him had grabbed Baltar's arms, while the gold Centurion turned, drawing his swords.

"Please, noo…!" Baltar's final words were cut off as his head was parted from his body.

"**Dispose of that." **Lucifer motioned to the human traitors' body while the gold Centurion brought his head forwards. Lucifer looked into the dead eyes.

"**We told you Baltar that as long as one human lives, the Alliance is threatened. Now we will end your race."** Turning away, he barked out a new command. **"Signal the fleet. We are going after the humans."**

"**By your Command."**

Slowly the Cylon armada moved off. A cloud of ships drifted into the darkness between stars, a mixture of the small single disked destroyers and the much larger twin hulled Base Ships. And in the centre was the titanic Lucifer Command ship…

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**Zeke: **Ouch.

**DR: **Uh huh. Now, lets get back to Zi...


End file.
